Naughty

Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10

No "Human Nature!" No "The Lady in My Life!" ... Yeah, there are still slow ballads on here, but they're not totally boring this time! ... They're still schlocky, but they're that version of schlocky that's worth listening to unless you're totally repelled by songs that are polished-produced and would happily shoot your radio before letting adult contemporary come out of it.

But I like adult contemporary if it's an actual good song. And perhaps Jackson's most insufferably schlocky ballad to this date "Liberian Girl" is too much ... but it has a very catchy melody. And the production wasn't overdone ... for an adult contemporary number. Rather the production was just right!

But let's not talk about the ballads for crap's sake! Let's talk about the only reason you'd ever want to listen to this album: THE GROOOOOOOVES!!!!!!!!!!

They're assuredly harder and, as some critics put it, more electronic than they were on Thriller, but they're still verrrrrry awesome! A few songs are enjoyable only because of the grooves and not necessarily the melody ("Just Good Friends" epitomizes that)! The title track is probably the most famous song on here ... really good, hard groove, catchy melody ... "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a really neat song, too...

I like all these songs ... except one. "Dirty Diana." ... The groove isn't infectious there! ... I can't get myself to like it ...

So, Michael Jackson did a successful follow-up to Thriller! ... It's great that Jackson actually put out a quality product, as opposed to a tossed-off thing to capitalize on all that gargantuan popularity he had going for him in the 1980s.

Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10 (Technically you might as well consider this a better album than Thriller just because there aren't any weak ballads on here! But when it comes to songs like "Beat It," this album doesn't quite have it. It comes very close a few times, though!)

Average Song Score: 8.8 (It doesn't contain nearly the same amount of awesome pop songs on Thriller, but there are far fewer weak spots.)

Album Tilt: 8.5 (By far Jackson's most consistent effort so far ... it still sort of seems like a group of singles than a congruent album...)

Artist Rating: 8.5 (He's obviously not your ordinary pop star ... He actually followed up his massively successful album with something worthy. Most pop stars don't even try...)

Track Reviews

Bad 9.5/10

You know ... if the justification for everyone who doesn't like this album is that it starts out with the line "Your butt is mine," I would totally understand! Butt anyway, this is a song with a neat synth-poppy groove, catchy melody, and a very good vocal performance from Jackson. ... Plus, it inspired the most famous of Weird Al videos.

The Way You Make Me Feel 9.5/10

Yet another highly enjoyable song for the late 80s. ... Quite obviously better than the same stuff from Madonna, who was peaking right about at the same time! Catchy song ... fun groove ... cool! A good one for the kids.

Speed Demon 8/10

An average song for Michael Jackson ... the chorus gets a little annoying when you listen to it too many times, but ... I can think of a lot worse things than the industrial beat! The falsetto thing halfway though the album was a pretty nice touch as well as those fake horns.

Liberian Girl 9.5/10

As far as I was ever concerned about the matter, this is FAR better than those slow/romantic songs that appeared on Thriller and Off the Wall. The groove is actually entrancing this time (that might be due to the drum machine or whatever) ... but the melody is awesome, and the production is excellent, too. Michael Jackson really is awesome.

Just Good Friends 9/10

Geez, another catchy song! This is a return to the upbeat, danceable stuff like "Bad." Maybe this is a little more "neutral" sounding, but ... it's very fun to listen to. This is easily digestible bubble-gum pop that's not too cheesy for comfort. It was masterfully produced!

Another Part of Me 8.5/10

He's got these synth-grooves down to an art, you know ... but ... just having a neat snyth-groove doesn't automatically make a great song! ... But a groove as neat as this automatically makes a *good* song.

Man in the Mirror 9/10

Geez!!! A gospel-pop song with some 80s production! ... I don't know how many times songs like this suck because they're so overblown, but if anything they're great here! ... Another very entertaining song ... good vocals ... nice song!!!

I Just Can't Stop Loving You 9/10

Still better than those ballads from Thriller in my humble opinion. The tune, for a start, is phenomenally catchy and pleasant. It also manages to soar quite gargantuanly ... This radio-bred song is almost unfathomably good. ... This gives me a good reason for such things to exist!

Dirty Diana 7/10

Ohhhhhh... I was having such fun until now! I guess when Michael Jackson has a good groove, he has a good groove, and when he doesn't, he doesn't! And "Dirty Diana" is quite simply an example of a not-good groove. It might be louder and, I suppose, more artistically sound than all the other songs of the album, but ... that doesn't automatically make a better song! You have to have a good tune first!! This sounds choppy, unmemorable ... and the accompanying melody is weak. The sound effects inserted throughout the song (and the sweeping synth arrangements in the background) seem rather ridiculous!!! ... Clearly not my favorite song of the album ...

Smooth Criminal 9/10

Along with "Dirty Diana" it's another hard and surprisingly violent pop song! Except I like this one! The groove is excellent, and Jackson's Bee Gee-like vocal delivery is rather fun to hear. ... Owwww!!!

Leave Me Alone 9/10

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the All Music Guide says this is the best song from Bad ... I beg to differ, of course, just because I don't find the melody as hooky and catchy as songs such as ... ohhhh ... "Bad." But this is another excellent, song anyway. More of that paranoid and *hard* variety, this proves that Jackson was above only making nothing radio hits ... even though he sure makes a lot of radio hits!!

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