This is Michael Jackson at his most mawkish, which isn’t necessarily something to frown upon. The problem is that there aren’t any soothing melodies to counter the nausea. “Your love is magical,” this teenage love poem insists, “I’ll go anywhere and do anything just to touch your face.” If a person were to say that to me with a straight face, I’d question their sanity.
The King proves he still has one of the best singing voices in Pop music; he begins and ends with an a cappella; and I like the way he ad-libs “You are always in my heart” like he did at the end of You Are Not Alone, but the ballad’s only true saving grace is the gorgeous orchestration happening in the background. It would do much better as a sap-free instrumental.
my rating : 3 of 5
2001
