NEW MICHAEL JACKSON ALBUM ON THE WAY

An album of previously unreleased music by the late king of pop will be released in May.

On Monday, Epic Records, in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson, announced the upcoming release of Xscape, executive produced by Epic Records Chairman and CEO L.A. Reid.

Reid was granted unlimited access to the treasures in Jackson’s’ music archives spanning four decades of material on which the star had completed his vocals.

Reid then teamed up with top producers to “contemporise” the songs “while retaining Jackson’s essence and integrity, creating the best music you’ve never heard,” explained Epic in a statement.

The list of producers on Xscape include global hitmakers Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, Stargate and John McClain.

The new album, which will be released on May 13th, will feature eight brand new recordings. A Deluxe Edition of Xscape will include a selection of the recordings in their original form.

The title of the album is in honour of Jackson’s album naming process. He always chose a song from the album to name his projects and, beginning with Thriller, used only one word titles.

“Michael was always on the cutting edge and was constantly reaching out to new producers, looking for new sounds. He was always relevant and current. These tracks, in many ways, capture that spirit,” said John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson.

Both the standard and deluxe editions of Xscape are available today for pre-order on iTunes and elsewhere.

Jackson died on 25 June 25, 2009 at the age of 50 following a drug overdose administered by Conrad Murray, his personal physician.