Great news Michael Jackson fans … the estate of the late King of Pop has announced that his first posthumous album of previously unreleased material is set for release on December 14. As you may know, it has been widely reported that MJ left a treasure trove of unreleased material in the care of his estate executors to be released after his death as a legacy for his 3 children. Not counting the soundtrack to Michael Jackson presents This Is It (the soundtrack to the behind-the-scenes concert film This Is It which only included one new track and was released last year, just months after his death), this new album is the first collection of previously released material to be released since MJ‘s death in June of 2009. Titled simply Michael, here is our first look at the album art:

The much anticipated album of newly completed recordings from Michael Jackson entitled MICHAEL will be released on December 14 by Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson. [On Friday, November 6] an exclusive teaser for the project will appear on www.michaeljackson.com; on Monday, November 8th the world premiere of “Breaking News,” a full track from the album, will stream on the site for one week only. The creative process never stopped for the King of Pop who was always planning for his next album; unbeknownst to many fans around the world Michael Jackson was writing and recording songs continuously everywhere from a friend’s home in New Jersey to studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with a small group of handpicked collaborators. Now, through the unique stories that will be told about the songs that comprise MICHAEL, fans will get mind-blowing insight into how this artist worked and a chance to hear the songs he most recently created along with tracks that Michael had a desire to bring to fruition. “Breaking News,” a never heard before song by Michael that appears on the new album was recorded in New Jersey in 2007 and recently brought to completion. Fans can begin pre-ordering the album on www.michaeljackson.com in the next 24 hours. The … image of the album cover of MICHAEL was created by painter Kadir Nelson in 2009. In the oil painting, Kadir – who is known for story telling through his art – takes us on a journey through some key moments and important people in Michael Jackson’s life. Stay tuned for the worldwide launch of the official first single from MICHAEL later this month.

I know there are many MJ fans out there very excited to hear this new material … and to be honest, I’m terribly curious myself. But, not everyone is happy this album is being released. The Jackson family has announced that they doubt very seriously the validity that this “new music” from Michael Jackson was recorded by MJ … they are insisting that this new collection of music was NOT recorded by MJ at all:

Two of Michael Jackson’s children are adamant — some of the soon-to-be released MJ song tracks are frauds. As we have been reporting, Sony will be releasing a Michael Jackson album before Christmas, featuring 10 – 12 original tracks. We’re told 5 of the tracks were recorded at the New Jersey home of record producer Eddie Cascio. Michael and his kids stayed at Cascio’s family home for 4 months in 2007, when the tracks were recorded, along with remixes that were released on the Thriller 25 Album. The Jackson family believes the Cassio tracks in question were fakes — sung by a Michael Jackson sound-alike. We’re told Prince says he was upstairs at the Cascio’s house when many of the tracks were recorded and was able to hear the music, and none of what he heard matches the Sony tracks. We’re also told Paris is “adamant” — she does not believe her dad’s voice is on the tracks in question. But the estate claims there are sound experts who say conclusively the tracks are the real deal. People connected with the Sony project believe the kids are being “manipulated” by Katherine Jackson and other family members who don’t want the album released.

Sony Music, naturally, vehemently denies that the songs are fakes and are moving forward with the album’s release. While I’m more a fan of the music MJ created back in the 80′s (and I understand there is some material from that era that is meant to be released sometime in the future), I am REALLY curious to hear the music that MJ intended for his next album. If YOU would like to preorder the album Michael, you can do so HERE. My guess is that the album will be available for purchase at all the usual outlets but … I guess if you want to get the jump on preordering, you can do so now. What do y’all think … are you excited by the release of his new Michael Jackson album?

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