As the years go by, the more I am convinced that Hydrocity was composed by either MJ or one of his crew. The Huffpost article reinvigorated my thinking about it. The song is just unlike anything else ever composed by Maeda, Hikichi, or any of the Japanese composers who worked on Sonic 3 really. It's not just that it's funky and jazzy- yes they have written funky and jazzy tracks. It's the voicings, the changes, and arcs of the melodies, the rhythms, the arrangement. Really the quality of it. It's just American through and through. It sounds so much closer to the work MJ's songwriters and arrangers were doing in that era, than any of those Japanese composers. I will say, if Hydrocity Act 2 IS one of those Japanese composers, then it's by far the best track they've ever composed. I'm a fan of Terranigma, 3D Blast, Golden Axe 3, etc. as much as the next guy, but there is nothing in any of those soundtracks that match the level of melodic and rhythmic craft that is Hydrocity Act 2. However, when I look at the songs composed by the likes of Brad Buxer and Michael Jackson, it just fits with their level of talent and their output. And their musical style.
I wonder if we'll ever really know!
|