"Breaking News"--Is It or Is It Not?

I believe somewhere there is a truth upon all the confusion regarding "Breaking News" and the remaining "Cascio tracks" on the upcoming "Michael" album being released by Sony next month.

I am adamant when I say the finished/released version of "Breaking News" is not a Michael Jackson track. It should not be touted as such by any means. It is not arrogant fan (or family) backlash causing this uproar but an accurate interpretation/auditory perception that Michael's vocals are not present on the track, certainly not the majority, especially the main vocals. It does not matter whose vocals the main vocals are--if they are not Michael's vocals, 100%, there is no reason to include this track on the album. It should have never been edited like this nor should Sony have ever tried to pass this off as a "new Michael Jackson track" either. Not even those unaccustomed with Michael's work were fooled by this track--that is how bad it truly is. To pass such a track as a "Michael Jackson" song is a disgrace to Michael's 40 years as a recording artist and insult to millions' intelligence as well. I put the brunt of blame for this fiasco on Sony because it is them who had the final say/approval of this track and it is them who released the track on their web site as a Michael Jackson piece and is continuing to promote it as such.

Finalized "Breaking News" track:

http://breakingnews.michaeljackson.com/ROW/

Here is an authentic acapella version of "Breaking News":

(Link removed due to DCMA threat.)

I do believe the above track contains Michael's vocals. Notice the cuts, the long moments of dead silence and then recall other demos/acapella versions of others songs by Michael (YouTube contains many acapella works). Michael's tracks are typically fluid, one continuous track with small noises included such as finger snapping and foot stomping. The lack of these key elements show how highly edited this track truly is and how much splicing has taken place. The finalized version of "Breaking News" shows that Michael's vocals have been completely drowned out by the newly added vocals, further proof that the final version has been heavily "enriched" by another vocalist.

Another Cascio track entitled "Monster":

(Link removed due to DCMA threat.)

I do believe this is Michael's vocals. This snippet reminds me of "2000 Watts" (but in his typical vocal register) and "Shout". The vibrato is fast, there is passion, especially in the opening "uh ohhh oh" which is very much like other songs including "2000 Watts".

So what is my overall conclusion? The "Cascio tracks" do include Michael but Sony would never have let you known that was the truth. The Cascios and people like Teddy Riley have been attacked over this matter when Sony is the one who should be receiving the majority of complaints and backlash for lying to the public. Michael's nephews have been discussing the matter as well and added some insight into this matter which makes sense as well. All the fighting, from my perspective, finds Sony in the middle. Somehow this has become a feud of epic proportions with people hurling insults at one another when had Sony never released "Breaking News" as it did none of us would not be in this situation. Actually, if Michael had not been killed, furthermore had Michael not been lied about in 2005 or 1993 this certainly would not be happening now.

How much of the "Cascio tracks" were recorded in 2007 and how much has been spliced from previous records I do not know--but it has been done. I do not know who did this splicing/editing as I was not in the studio during the process of putting this album together. I know the names of some of the people who have worked on these tracks but likely these tracks have been passed through many hands and stages of approval. I fully believe there are songs out there that could have been added to "Michael" that are indeed tracks Michael would approve of and tracks that would not require any edits/polishing. We know there are many finished outtakes from previous albums like "Bad" and "Dangerous" that could be included. Take for example "Do You Know Where Your Children Are?":

(Link removed due to DCMA threat.)

Why is a track like this apparently not included or not being promoted? What about "A Place with No Name" or "Another Day"? Maybe Sony thinks that they are too "outdated". Well, Sony, in case you have not noticed your sales are really slumping. The music industry is slumping. The "talent" (or lack thereof) in the music industry today should tell you that attempting to turn Michael Jackson into a "new artist" will not please his fans though some in the younger generation may fall for it. I can only see this as a tactic that is abusing Michael's legacy and work or maybe something even more sinister which I will not discuss now. The bulk of Michael Jackson's music will always be better than anything released by any new artist Sony will ever come across. For Sony to attempt to pass off a song like "Breaking News" to the public as a Michael Jackson work is appalling. It has generated a lot of "buzz" which may or may not boost album sales but some who may have not thought to buy the album are at least likely curious now. I have never been a supporter of boycotting Michael's new music but in reality, from what we have seen, this is not Michael's music being released anyway, at least not some of it and because of that I see Sony committing false advertisement in this situation. Sony manipulated Michael Jackson over the years and now they are attempting to manipulate his fans after his death. It shows how corrupt Sony really is and how low they will go.

On a final note, I hate saying this but Michael did have a mild lung disease when he passed away that was chronic in nature. The ability to breathe does change how you can sing. That should be considered when listening to his songs recorded within the last years of his life. Breathing is vital to how you can utilize your vibrato, how long you can hold notes, etc. I do not know if this was a factor for Michael or not in 2007. Regardless, nothing will change the fact that Michael was one of the best vocalists to ever live and any project he would embark on at any time, he would give it his all, all the time. He would want his fans and the public to have the best and as it stands now they are not getting the best. He would never want his fans being taken advantage of in any form, especially not by using his name.

****Though I cannot post links to these tracks I have mentioned above they are not difficult to locate on the internet.****