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Michael Jackson's New Album XScape Debuts

It’s been almost five years since Michael Jackson’s tragic death, but his new albumXScape is out today.

Producer L.A. Reid spoke to Today‘s Matt LauerTuesday about the previously unreleased music and how he chose from “hundreds” of tracks, eight of which appear on the album.

“I just listened for the songs that Michael sang completely from top to bottom—multiple times,” Reid said. “You know, that was my guide, and then the ones that I thought had great melodies [that] would still stand up today.”

Reid worked with Timbaland and other producers to put the tracks together for a 2014 audience, and he’s confident Jackson, a perfectionist, would be pleased with the vocals they used. “If he recorded it over and over then i knew that he loved it,” Reid said. “I worked with Michael and I knew that he wouldn’t record it over and over unless he loved it.”

And while there is “more music” from the late star that has yet to be released, Reid saidXscape features “what I really, really love,” and for him, “this is it.”

Jackson won’t only be remembered, though, for his musical talent. Lauer asked Reid bluntly what he thought of the “deeply flawed” artist, who faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse throughout his career and even posthumously.

Reid’s response? “Michael was a man of love,” he said. “He was completely about love and completely harmless. He was very dedicated to himself, to music and being great, and really doing something great for the world.”

Source-(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)