Maybe Tomorrow

The Jackson 5's fifth studio album arrived on April 12, 1971, through Motown Records, and it marked a clear shift in direction. Hot on the heels of the massive ballad "I'll Be There," the group leaned harder into slow, emotionally charged material, leaving behind much of the frantic energy of their earlier singles. The Corporation and Hal Davis handled production, while Gene Page and James Anthony Carmichael arranged the strings and horns that give the album its lush, polished feel.

The record opens with its title track, a four-and-a-half-minute showcase for Michael Jackson's increasingly nuanced voice, complete with sitar and sweeping strings. The album's biggest hit, "Never Can Say Goodbye," written by Clifton Davis, became one of the group's most covered songs, with versions by Isaac Hayes, Gloria Gaynor, and the Communards. Jermaine Jackson took lead vocals on "She's Good," a rare moment where he steps out from behind his brother's shadow. The album also includes "The Wall," co-written by Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, and Pam Sawyer, and the gentle "Petals," which features some of the most delicate vocal work of Michael's early career.

Commercially, the album spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Soul Albums chart, but it peaked at number eleven on the Billboard 200, making it the group's weakest pop showing up to that point. Still, it sold over three and a half million copies worldwide. Critical reception at the time was mixed; one reviewer gave it a D+, calling most of the tracks mediocre while praising "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "It's Great to Be Here." Over the years, though, the album has gained respect for its musical ambition and its influence on later R&B and hip-hop, with several tracks sampled by artists across genres. [edit]