Beyond the Bangers: A Gen Z Teen’s Deep Dive Into MJ's Hidden Gems
Photo Credit: Rolling Stone
By: Brayden Dodson
With the film “Michael” coming out in April 2026, I felt it was a good time to review Michael Jackson’s solo music career. As a teenager born in the late 2000’s, I know of Michael Jackson and his masterpieces that have stood the test of time, but I really don’t know the “gems” that die-hard MJ fans know. I also feel like Michael Jackson really only has three amazing albums, so doing this review will answer that assumption for me. I’ll only be going through true solo albums, as well as only albums he was alive for. That means no “XSCAPE” (2014) or “Michael” (2010). I’ll be ranking the albums on a scale of 1-10 based on production, vocals, skipability (songs that I skip), and number of bangers in the album; I’ll give my top ten songs as well.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_to_Be_There
Got To Be There (1972) 4/10
Songs Skipped: 4 out of 10
Producer(s): Hal Davis, The Corporation, and Willie Hutch.
This debut is not an album; it’s a corporate hostage situation. If Michael’s voice is an explosion of ecstasy, Motown’s early production is the heavy, wet blanket smothering it before the fuse can fully light. The entire sound is syrupy, safe, and wildly inconsistent, treating the 13-year-old King in training like a miniature adult crooner forced through a checklist of cheesy covers. The arrangements are over-orchestrated, laden with dated strings that completely deflate his youthful punch. The whole affair is a sonic failure that completely smothers his artistic personality. Yet, there is one prophetic, earth-shattering track: “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” This song is a clean, mid-tempo groove, built on a funky, bubbling bassline that’s tight, smooth, and effortless. Michael’s vocal delivery here is pure, confident soul—the moment the future superstar effortlessly rode a pocket of funk and hinted at the Off the Wall genius to come. One incredible song cannot salvage the suffocating failure that surrounds it.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_%28Michael_Jackson_album%29
Ben (1972) 3/10
Songs Skipped: 6 out of 10
Producer(s): The Corporation, Hal Davis, Mel Larson, and Jerry Marcellino.
If there were a trophy for worst Michael Jackson album, it would definitely be this one about a boy talking to a rat. “Ben” is unbearable to listen to; none of the tracks on this album do I enjoy, and every track feels far too slow. This 1972 release, dropped during his peak with The Jackson 5, feels less like a creative effort and more like corporate Motown filler, built almost entirely around the Oscar-nominated, rat-themed title track. However, even the famous ballad 'Ben,' which showcases his incredible pre-pubescent voice, can't save the record from its fate as a lethargic, uninspired collection of covers and drab originals. His take on The Temptations' ‘My Girl,' strips the original of all its celebratory funk, turning a classic into a joyless, mid-tempo cruise. Once I got to track 4, “We’ve Got A Good Thing Goin,” I got the temptation to just skip the album entirely. This album was probably one of, if not the worst, album I’ve ever listened to.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_%26_Me
Music and Me (1973) 5/10
Songs Skipped: 5 out of 10
Producer(s): Hal Davis, The Corporation, Mel Larson, and Jerry Marcellino.
The first half of “Music & Me” is brilliant, showcasing Michael's maturing voice on tracks like 'With a Child's Heart,' proving he could master adult contemporary material. As the title track is a soft and gentle ballad, with a 14-year-old Michael’s vocals that are emotional and pure, this track was the best song on the entire album. Unfortunately, the latter half dissolves into pure, forgettable Motown filler. The sheer volume of bland standards and cover songs, “Too Young,” and “All The Things You Are,” feel like Motown using him as a jukebox rather than letting him find his own groove. The result is a highly inconsistent experience; a few stellar vocal performances surrounded by production that instantly dates the music.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever,_Michael
Forever, Michael (1975) 5/10
Songs Skipped: 3 out of 10
Producer(s): Edward Holland Jr., Brian Holland, Hal Davis, Sam Brown III, and Freddie Perren
“Forever, Michael” is the sound of an immense talent stuck between two worlds. Songs like 'We're Almost There' are a clear sign of the R&B sophistication Michael was striving for, and you can hear the seeds of Off The Wall being sown. However, for every moment of soulful clarity, there's another cloying ballad or overly cutesy track like 'Dear Michael' or 'Cinderella Stay Awhile' that pulls it back down. It's a slightly better collection than Music & Me, but its identity crisis—great voice, average material—cancels itself out, leaving it another historical artifact.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off_the_Wall
Off the Wall (1979) 8/10 Songs
Skipped: 1 out of 10
Producer(s): Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson
After the very mediocre and frankly horrible era with “Got to Be There” through “Forever, Michael”, I would say this is MJ's magnum opus, from singing about a rat on a Motown Funk ballet to making full-blown hits on “Off The Wall”. The smooth pop production by Quincy Jones is timeless. The Quincy magic starts immediately on track one, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, as Jones's smooth but punchy beat, complemented with Michael’s falsetto, is pleasing to the ears as you get lost in the groovy tempo. Track three, “Workin’ Day and Night”, keeps the upbeat production that the first track set, but MJ’s voice takes over the track with unimaginable high notes. Quincy Jones’s perfect production gets almost overshadowed by Michael's vocals, as Jackson seems lost in the beauty that is Quincy Jones. This is, without a doubt, my favorite song on “Off the Wall”, just from the perfection of both MJ and Jones. The main reason that this is MJ’s magnum opus to me is that there is only one song that I skipped: ” It’s the Falling in Love”. The only reason that I skipped the track is that it was a tiny bit softer and slower than the rest of the other tracks, not because it was a bad song.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%28album%29
Thriller (1982) 10/10
Songs Skipped: 0 out of 9
Producer(s): Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.
If there was any album I would say is absolute perfection from top to bottom, it would be “Thriller”, not only that it's one of the most recognized and loved eve,r but because it has no-filler songs sandwiched between tracks–it’s perfection followed by perfection. Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones followed up the genius of “Off The Wall” with world-shattering and inspiring 80’s pop with Quincy Jones’s smooth and beautiful production. If I were to sum up this album, it would be that this album should be illegal. From the quick tempo yet beautiful “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” to the Hollywood tough boy on “Beat it”, this is perfection for each type of person. Critics say that “Billie Jean” or “Thriller” are the best tracks on this album—but I’m different. I say that track 8, “Pretty Young Thing”, is the definition of the perfect song if I were to say that exists. Jones’s production on this track should be criminal; the blend of R&B, Pop, and Funk is enough to make a grown man cry; then, paired with Michael’s peak playful vocals on a smooth R&B bass, it becomes too desirable not to sing along—even in the shower.
Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_%28album%29
Bad (1987) 10/10
Songs Skipped: 0 out of 11
Producer(s): Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.
Following the perfection of “Thriller”, greatness should’ve been impossible, but “Bad” is the exception. If “Thriller” was smooth like a velvet glove on a hand, then “Bad” is a red leather jacket punched into the chest. I believe that this album conveys the peak of Michael’s vocals, as every note of his voice is an explosion of pure ecstasy. You know that to be true based on track one by itself, as the title track “Bad” is an unassailable song of pure defiance on a punchy beat and smooth and polished instrumental. As this album does what “Thriller” did to perfection, as there are no wasted tracks; every song hits the exact same note, from the soulful “Man In the Mirror” to the scandalous “Dirty Dina”—every track has something that makes it perfect. With that being said there is always one track on every album that resonates with me, and that track would be “Leave Me Alone”, as it has all of MJ’s personality and music excellence that only a couple of tracks have so far; if I were to show a song to someone that told them about Michael Jackson as a singer and Quincy Jones as a producer it will be this one. As the track has a tight, punchy baseline that is smooth yet oddly crunchy and rigid; The vocals on this track are by far the best of Michael Jackson, from the choir in the background to Jackson’s angelic falsetto—this is one of Michael Jackson’s masterpieces.
Dangerous (1991) 8/10
Songs Skipped: 3 out of 14
Producer(s): Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley, Bill Bottrell, and Bruce Swedien
Following the Quincy Jones era for Michael Jackson came Teddy Riley and his new jack swing—that if you compare “Thriller” and “Bad”, is a tad behind, but nonetheless, I still think “Dangerous” is an outstanding album. Michael Jackson has not lost a step on this album; his vocals and delivery are still unmatched, but now with a mature sound to it—it is extraordinary. Though there is something about this album that does feel a little dated and choppy, the production uses thick synths and electronic elements that just feel old. That feeling is very noticeable on track six, “Can’t Let Her Get Away”, as this track relies heavily on Riley’s new jack swing sound with a thin, highly synthesised bassline complimented with metal-sounding percussion. Listening to that track feels like you're opening an early 90s time capsule. “Dangerous” also feels very experimental, which is not entirely a bad thing; just when an album is filling spots with tracks that ruin the vibe or just don’t match, that really hurts an album. You can really feel the vibe die when the album transitions from a rock-inspired “Give Into Me” to a soft and delicate ballad “Will You Be There”; Besides that, I still like this album, it is more expressive than Michael’s previous work. The production on track three, “In the Closet”, has Teddy Riley's hands all over it, but unlike some of the other songs, this one doesn’t feel dated as the beat is thick and punchy but also smooth and slick. I love the layering of Michael's vocals; it's beautiful without being overwhelming.
HIStory Disk 2 (1995) 9/10
Songs Skipped: 2 out of 15
Producer(s): Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, David Foster, and R. Kelly.
Unlike “Dangerous” a couple of years before, “HIStory” has new jack swing–but as an element, not as the main genre of the album. “HIStory” is way more mature than any of Michael’s previous work; you can tell as there are more explicit lyrics, lower in tone, and more real, and I love it. The lyrics on this album are really Hip Hop inspired, delivered with a quick, tight flow that is completely different from his past 80’s pop work. If you are used to “Thriller” and “Off the Wall”, this is what you would least expect: Michael’s vocals are lower, unlike his 80s dance pop days; his voice carries pain and paranoia. While tracks like track six “D.S” is when I realised Michael was not all innocent. The gritty yet beautiful guitar from Guns’n’Roses member Slash is absolutely beautiful, while being paired with Michael's raspy yet smooth vocals that sing with pure anger and bitterness. After doing a little bit of research, this track is intrepid as a diss track targeted at Tom Sneddon, the attorney who led Michael’s child abuse investigation a couple of years earlier. The only thing I don’t enjoy about the album is that it does what the other albums did before as well; there were songs with drastically slower tempo that ruined the mood, or vice versa. From the slow and haunting “Stranger in Moscow” to a song with a Biggie feature in “This Time Around”, the drastic mood switch is confusing at first, but as I keep listening to it you get used to it.
Invincible (2001) 5/10
Songs Skipped: 7 out of 16
Producer(s): Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Teddy Riley, Dr Freeze, Andre Harris, and Babyface.
If Bad was a red leather jacket, “Invincible” is a futuristic battle suit with a dead battery. It is a long, expensive, and ultimately fragmented catastrophe, desperately trying to fuse Michael’s classic funk with the loud, abrasive, digital hip-hop production of the 2000s. The entire album sounds like a 77-minute identity crisis, with the aggressive, synthetic beats from Rodney Jerkins wearing down the listener rather than thrilling them. His classic voice is often buried beneath layers of aggressive percussion and digital compression, never allowed the space to explode with pure ecstasy. But then there is the miraculous exception, "Butterflies." This track steps away from the noise and is a pure, velvety smooth R&B gem. Over a restrained, elegant production, Michael deploys his most vulnerable, soaring falsetto to convey sincere, classic soul. It’s a moment of sublime, timeless genius that proves he still had the voice, but tragically shows how much of the album’s ambition was wasted on cold, synthetic noise.
Okay, after spending two solid weeks really listening to his music, I have to admit I was definitely wrong. My initial thought that he only had three amazing albums was misguided, and I now completely agree that the mythologising of Michael Jackson is absolutely warranted. You can trace this incredible run of mastery right from the beginning. Off the Wall is more than just an album; it’s a perfect blueprint of sophisticated funk and pop. Then, of course, there’s Thriller, which wasn't just huge—it was a global event that truly broke ground by transforming the music video. He kept evolving, too. Bad brought this new, powerful energy, and even his later works, like Dangerous and HIStory, show his continuous growth, proving he wasn't afraid to adopt styles like New Jack Swing or tackle big social issues. When you look at that twenty-year stretch of unbelievable singing, flawless dancing, and pure visual spectacle, it’s clear. Michael Jackson isn't just a great artist; he is unquestionably 'The King of Pop'.
My Top Ten Michael Jackson Songs: Title-Album (Year):
Leave Me Alone - Bad (1987)
Pretty Young Thing (P.Y.T. ) - Thriller (1982)
Workin’ Day and Night - Off the Wall (1979)
Dirty Diana - Bad (1987)
Thriller - Thriller (1982)
Dangerous - Dangerous (1991)
Give Into Me - Dangerous (1991)
D.S. - HIStory (1995)
Bad - Bad (1987)
Man In The Mirror - Bad (1987)
