Is Michael Jackson still dead?

‘Course he is. But the first of the inevitable glut of posthumous Jacko releases is nigh, and is notable at least in terms of the fact that it’s comprised of previously unreleased material.

Entitled MICHAEL, full details of the album expected to see release next week, when one of its tracks, ‘Breaking News’, will premiere over at michaeljackson.com and stream there for one week only. A detail from he fittingly grandiose artwork – from an oil painting creating by Kadir Nelson in 2009 – is pictured above.

According to a press release: “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.”

You can pre-order MICHAEL now, if you’re that way inclined. Frankly we’re more concerned about whether the proto-dubstep LP that Bubbles reportedly cut in ’99 is ever going to see the light of day.

More info here.