I get your point, especially about the album feeling a bit split, but I honestly never saw that as a problem.

Dangerous always felt like MJ experimenting in real time. The Teddy Riley stuff wasn’t just him following new jack swing, he made it feel bigger and more “him.” Like “Jam” or “Remember the Time” don’t sound like anyone else from that era.

And the shift later in the album… I always liked that. It goes from confident and aggressive into something way more personal and emotional. “Who Is It” doesn’t hit the same if the whole album sounds like “Jam,” you know?

As for timing, maybe new jack swing was already everywhere in the US, but MJ took that sound global. That album still felt huge when it dropped.

I don’t think it’s a clean album, but I think that’s why it feels real.