20 Years Later, Jackson's 'Dangerous' LP Remains Underrated Masterpiece

CLEVELAND - When it comes to the music of Michael Jackson, many people seem to place his 1982 album Thriller as his single greatest phenomenon, his 1979 album Off the Wall as a true classic and his 1987 LP Bad as a strong but lacking follow-up to the Thriller juggernaut. But there is one huge problem with that thinking.

It totally ignores the immense brilliance of another of his gems.

Saturday (Nov. 26) marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Jackson's change-of-direction album, 1991's Dangerous, which actually sold more and faster than Bad. It baffles me as to why the album didn't receive more acclaim, especially with its cutting-edge music videos and expansive world tour. Jackson had arrived at a place in his artistic life where he was heavily experimenting with unusual styles and concepts in his music and he infused those ideals into this truly classic work.

For those three iconic albums that preceded Dangerous, MJ had been a steady collaborator with the great Quincy Jones. For Dangerous, he sought a hipper style and enlisted then-innovative producer Teddy Riley to handle extensive production on the album. The result is a very eclectic blend of catchy dance tracks and moving ballads that highlight Michael's ethereal vocal presence.

It remains very impressive even today.

Kicking off with a furious marketing push with the lead single, "Black or White," Michael seemed to be on the fast track towards taking the world by storm again. He hadn't released an album in four years and after the "Bad World Tour" ended in January 1989, he had barely been seen publicly in more than two years. When promotion of Dangerous commenced in late autumn '91, his style and appearance had changed but his once-in-a-lifetime talent and imagination were still in top form. "Black or White," a hybrid hard rock/pop song was supported with a controversial music video that premiered simultaneously on several television channels. It was at this time that MJ began being referred to in the media as "The King of Pop" and after viewing his work, the honorific title made perfect sense.

MJ's clout and influence proved to be larger than life with the Dangerous album. The music video for "Jam" featured Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and then-teen sensation Kriss Kross. "In the Closet" co-starred model Naomi Campbell and the infectious R&B tune "Remember the Time" was promoted with a short film featuring comic actor Eddie Murphy, basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson and model Iman. It was clear to me that Michael had stepped up his game in terms of scope and diversity, opting to feature exotic locales in the short films as well as craft universally designed songs which augmented his already enormous global fan base.

The sprawling, anthemic song "Heal the World" is one of Michael's greatest works in spite of the litany of critics that deem the track too "self-indulgent." It is a beautiful tune that showcases MJ's humanitarian side and concern for the welfare of others across the planet. The song "Gone Too Soon" is another such effort, written in tribute to teen AIDS victim Ryan White, whom Jackson befriended prior to his death a year earlier.

Personally, "Give In To Me" and "Who Is It?" are two of my absolute favorite tracks. Michael has always been the master at vacillating between strength and vulnerability on his records, especially when he varies his vocal range several times in one line to convey the powerful dichotomy of those emotions.

The title track is another keeper. When Michael performed that song in the years to come (most notably at the 1995 MTV VMAs), he performed it with the same super cool gangster flair of which he used for his performances of "Smooth Criminal" from 1987's Bad album.

The "Dangerous World Tour" spanned 1992 and 1993 and took the legendary entertainer to packed stadiums on seemingly every corner of the planet, even the most obscure and remote locales around. In between shows, Michael performed the songs in a number of high profile appearances including his explosive appearance at the Halftime Show of the Super Bowl in January '93. It was there that Michael starred in a frenetic medley of his past classics (as well as tracks from Dangerous). He even sang at one of President Clinton's Inaugural Balls and in a nationally televised interview sang for Oprah Winfrey when she visited his Neverland estate.

Looking back with 20 years of perspective, Dangerous remains one of Michael Jackson's overlooked and underrated crowning achievements and, along with its global sales of over 30 million copies sold, should start getting recognized as the true work of art that it is.

Michael, I salute you once again!