Longtime Michael Jackson collaborator Teddy Riley — who produced several songs on the posthumous Michael LP, which comes out today — has fired back at Quincy Jones for saying that there was "no way" the album should have been released.
"Look at his age. He can barely hear you talk. How the hell could he hear Michael?," Riley said to British newspaper The Guardian . "Anybody who says [it is not Jackson singing on the album], I do have a comeback, because you're not right. That's just the bottom line."
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Asked about the album, Jones told UsMagazine.com that he hadn't yet listened closely but said, "It sounds like Michael. But it's backed up by so many voices where I can't really dig down deep enough or I haven't really had time to dig deep enough to identify it. But no way it should be coming out. It should have all stayed in the vault."
Several people close to Jackson, including his brother Randy, have claimed that the vocals on some Michael songs are not by their brother. A lawyer for the singer's estate issued a detailed statement, citing several experts, in an effort to refute those claims.
Riley said the criticism "put me in a position where I had to fight for my friend," he said, referring to Michael. "I fought against his family — big time. The only reason I fought against them all and fought against the fans was to make them believe that this is Michael Jackson's vocals."
The row behind the new Michael Jackson CD [The Guardian]