迈克尔·杰克逊虽然已经离世五年之久，但他的声音却从未消失。最新发布的第二张mj遗世唱片《xscape》再次点燃了全世界粉丝的心。让我们一起来看这位音乐传奇如何再次延续他不朽的音乐生命。
i have a personal theory for considering whether a person is legendary: to see if he or she still has an impact after their death. of course i’m talking about the person’s indelible influence in a certain realm.
判断一个人是不是传奇人物，我的个人方法是：看他去世后的影响力。当然，只要对一个领域产生难以磨灭的影响就足够了。
michael jackson, the “king of pop”, certainly falls into this category. nearly five years after his death, there’s no escaping him. the latest evidence, xscape, his second posthumous album, arrives may 13 with eight unreleased songs the superstar recorded between 1983 and 1999. in case you didn’t know, that’s after jackson’s early creative peak as a solo artist (with his 1979 breakthrough album off the wall and 1982’s thriller).
“流行音乐之王”——迈克尔·杰克逊，就是传奇的典范。虽然他离开人世已近五年，但是其音乐影响力却从未离去。最新发行的专辑《xscape》就是明证：《xscape》于5月13日发布，是迈克尔·杰克逊离世后发行的第二张专辑，囊括了杰克逊1983年至1999年间录制的8首歌曲。这一时期，正是杰克逊凭借1979年《off the wall》与1982年《thriller》两张专辑登上个人演唱巅峰之后的一段时间。
just because the songs were recorded decades ago doesn’t mean they sound outdated. certainly, you can sense the distinct feeling of the time period, but under the inventive guidance of executive producers, including epic records chief l.a. reid and timbaland, the songs are layered in modern electronic textures without overwhelming jackson’s signature vocals or the overall structure of the tunes.
最新专辑中的歌曲虽然录制于几十年前，但听来毫无过时之感。当然，你还是能够听出到那个年代的独特感觉，但在epic records主席l.a. 里德与timberland联合制作下，歌曲保留了迈克尔·杰克逊最标志性的声音和最完整的曲调结构，同时又加入了一些符合当下流行的电子音乐元素。。（译者注：epic records是美国一个唱片厂牌，是索尼的子公司。最初是一个专门制作爵士音乐的工厂，现在扩展到了各个门类。）
all eight tracks are great for the dance floor. they have strong beats that rumble through your body. the opening song, love never felt so good, has the 1980s disco beats and crisp finger clicks, with warm, leaping strings, that recall the melodic and rhythmic punch of jackson’s early work. the song has another version featuring pop star justin timberlake, who gives the song a more contemporary touch.
专辑中的8首歌是舞曲的绝佳选择，每首都具有穿透身体的强烈节奏。主打单曲名为《爱从未感觉如此美好》（love never felt so good）：在八十年代迪斯科的节拍中，手指轻快地划过按键带来跳跃却温暖的琴音，让我们不由得想起杰克逊早期作品中鲜明的节奏性和旋律感。这首歌的另一个版本则加入了说唱歌手贾斯汀·汀布莱克的声音，为歌曲带来了更多当代元素。
other tracks are edgier and more aggressive, both musically and lyrically. for jackson, love and anxiety were often inextricably entwined in his music, and the best way for him to express this conflict was through his powerful, strong and flexible voice. along with his trademark growls and hiccups, jackson’s love, anger and passion is present throughout the album.
唱片的另一个版本则不论是在作曲还是歌词上都更为大胆。对于杰克逊而言，爱与焦虑总是形影不离地交织在他的音乐之中，而他那强劲有力又富于变化的嗓音则是表达这种冲突的最佳利器。
when an album like this comes out, controversy seems inevitable. some say it’s just another way for the record label to bring in millions of dollars, though reid explained that it was done “in the spirit” of jackson’s original plans.
每次发布这样的专辑，争议总是不可避免。一些人认为这只不过是唱片公司为了圈钱的另一种手段，但是里德却认为专辑是顺应杰克逊的原意制作而成的。
nonetheless, fans worldwide are more than thrilled to hear their idol’s music again. and the album is a perfect reminder of just how important jackson was. after all, not many artists can release their cast-off tracks and still sound so good.
无论如何，能够再次听到自己偶像的声音，世界各地杰克逊的粉丝都激动无比。同时，这张唱片也是对杰克逊影响力的完美致敬，不是每一个歌手的遗弃之歌都能如此发行，也没有多少歌手的遗世之曲能如此悦耳动听。