Due to the high popularity of a State Farm Insurance commercial featuring an acoustic version of the hit "I'll Be There", Motown released "I'll Be There (Minus Mix)" via iTunes on June 9, 2009, as a prelude to The Stripped Mixes.^[1][2] "I'll Be There (Minus Mix)" did not chart on any music charts. Shortly after Jackson's death in June 2009, his music experienced a surge in popularity,^[3] leading to re-issues of his music. Less than an hour after the memorial service for Jackson at the Staples Center on July 7, 2009, Universal Music Group announced The Stripped Mixes, a collection of Jackson's classic songs, would be released.^[4] The album features "stripped" mixes of Jackson's classic Motown-era songs as well as songs recorded while he was a member of the Jackson 5 from the 1960s to the 1980s.^[5] The songs that are "stripped" on the album have backing instruments and some studio engineering removed to make the songs have a more acoustic sound.^[6] The Stripped Mixes was made available as a digital download on July 7, and as a compact disc on July 28, 2009.

Commercial performance edit

The Stripped Mixes charted at a peak position of #95 on the Billboard 200 in its debut week with sales of less than five thousand units.^[7][8] It charted at #43 on the R&B Albums Chart in 2009, and moved up to #21 in 2010.^[8] Internationally, The Stripped Mixes was more successful commercially. The album charted within the top fifty in Belgium Flanders and Belgium Wallonia, peaking at #43 and #47 for five and seven weeks, respectively.^[9] The Stripped Mixes also charted at #75 in Mexico for one week before dropping out of the top 100.^[9]

Critical reception edit

The Stripped Mixes received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave The Stripped Mixes two out of five stars,^[10] stating that he felt that "the logic of what is left behind doesn't quite make sense", pointing out that "I Want You Back" and "ABC" have no drums and "feel a little tipsy and top-heavy"; "Ben" and "With a Child's Heart" have echoes of strings in the background, making it hard to identify the songs as being "stripped".^[10] He added that since the genius lies in the arrangements, "having so much of the arrangement absent" means that the music "just sounds awkward and incomplete, as if it was waiting for the final round of mixing and overdubs."^[10] Erlewine's overall opinion on the album was "if the purpose of this disc is to draw attention to Michael's vocals, The Stripped Mixes does its job, but just because his voice is pushed front and center does not mean that this is the best place to appreciate his genius."^[10]

A writer for PR Newswire praised the album, describing it as "showcasing" Jackson's vocal talent and viewed The Stripped Mixes as shining a "bright, fresh light" on Jackson's early career both as a solo artist and with his brothers in the Jackson 5.^[2] Natalie Salvo of TheDwarf.com.au commented that the mix of "Ain't No Sunshine" made the album "personally" worth buying.^[4] She added that "the music does what it's supposed to do", which was "evoking the right mood but not being overly showy."^[4] Despite the praise, she did state that the album could be clinically looked at as an "element of bad taste" from a "greedy record company" and noted that it was "difficult" to "stop yourself being overcome with cynicism towards this album".^[4] Jeff Dorgay of Tone Publications described all of the album's tracks as being "quite strong" and added that "regardless of your interest in Michael Jackson" The Stripped Mixes is a disc "you should have in your collection" because it offers a "rare look" at "classic" material by Jackson when he was beginning his career.^[11]

Credits adapted from AllMusic.^[12]

• Michael Jackson: The Stripped Mixes at iTunes