For me, listening to any music created before 1985 feels like an expedition through time in search of hidden musical treasures; I really didn't start paying serious attention to the music industry until the summer of 1989 - the summer between my 6th and 7th grades.

So did I find any sonic gems on this album? You better believe it. I was already familiar with "Got To Be There"; it's one of my favorite Michael Jackson slow songs of all time. For those who haven't heard it, I would just describe it as an innocent and passionate declaration of love.

We continue with urgently pleading "I Wanna Be Where You Are", a song I'd heard sampled in 1991 by rapper MC Lyte in her song "Georgie Porgie"; this song is great. "Rockin Robin" is a fun remake - you can almost picture a cartoon video in your head while you listen; the song is colorful and playful.

"People Make The World Go Round" was another surprise for me. I like it, but the reason it surprised me was because in 1996, the group Westside Connection used this song as the basis for their hit, "Gangstas Make The World Go Round"...at any rate, I felt educated when I heard the original, which is wonderful. I always appreciate learning something new (or old, depending on your perspective, of course).

"With A Child's Heart", and "Happy" are both great ballads firmly rooted in the pop tradition; benign, tender and sugary. "Ben", on the other hand is young MJ's eerily beautiful masterpiece. From what I understand, the song was used for a horror movie called "Willard"; the movie was about a boy and his homicidal pet rat...

The next two tracks don't really fit Michael Jackson's voice in my opinion; they were produced with a philly-soul sound that was more rugged than Michael's signature pop/R&B. Eventually, we make our way to track #10, the ultra-somber "One Day In Your Life" - my favorite song on the album. Here are some of the lyrics:

One Day In Your Life

You'll Remember The Love You Found Here

You'll Remember Me Somehow

Though You Don't Need Me Now,

I Will Stay In Your Heart

And When Things Fall Apart,

You'll Remember One Day...

I think this song is very sad and moving. I admit that it may strike some as ridiculously corny, but it worked for me. The sound and feeling behind this song bring to mind the melancholy that fueled Gloria Estefan's 1987 ballad "Anything For You"...

We close this collection with a ballad called "Music and Me" that ends the album perfectly. On this CD you're getting both versions of Michael - the child, and the adolescent. It's a great buy...

Thanks for reading

C.H.R.