While Michael Jackson’s sanity has long been a source of debate since he mutated from a black man to an effeminate white woman, his musical abilities have rarely been questioned.

With his latest cookie-cutter compilation “Number Ones,” however, the listener quickly goes from never getting enough to realizing just how dated and trite Jackson’s music has become.

Songs like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You” may have jump-started Jackson’s career away from his brothers, but both tracks sound horrendously dated courtesy of flimsy drum machine beats and a morsel of decrepit Disco flair.

Likewise, tunes like “Billie Jean” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” sound not only a bit dated, but rather creepy in light of more than a decade of allegations of child abuse. As Jackson vainly croons about groupies and personal pleasure, the listener’s cringe factor becomes almost unbearable.

It’s a bit too presumptuous to say Jackson never had talent as a singer or a songwriter, but almost everything on “Number Ones” sounds like an ’80s Mutt Lange production lacking any real instruments and completely drenched in reverb.

Even “Beat It,” one of Jackson’s biggest hits, is little more than a fuzz-drenched retread of The Beatles’ “Day Tripper.” Maybe it is because Jackson has become so ubiquitous or simply outdated, but very few songs on “Number Ones” fair well in modern context.

The drums are electronic, the keyboards are often annoying, and the vocals have been dubbed so many times and with so much reverb it’s hard to tell what Jackson really sounds like. Ballads like “You are not Alone” and “Earth Song” may pass as listenable, but rockers like “Black or White” and “Dirty Diana” are laughable at best as Jackson tries his best to have a little edge.

“Number Ones” should have been a celebration of Jackson’s astonishing career, but comes across as a lame excuse by a desperate artist needing some quick cash with yet another tepid “greatest hits” package. Jackson’s once powerful voice and innovative dance moves – now dated and trite – hold barely a glimpse of the former self-proclaimed “King of Pop.”