It is great to hear from an old friend. Particularly, when it has been so long since you last heard from them. Mid morning, I was busy answering various support calls, and the end of the working day seemed miles away. I have MSN Messenger running in the system tray. One new message, the pop-up alerted me and I was surprised to discover it was from my old flat mate, Paul. The subject of the message also threw me off slightly. I was puzzled. I clicked to view the message and all my questions were answered. Of all the songs I used to play, back in our students digs, MJ material was high up on the list. Particularly, this sugary ballad, sung with such sweet affection, it touches your very soul. Paul had discovered a recent cover of one of my favourite songs. Once again we come to topic of cover songs. Certain bands just do not deserve to release any music, let alone be given the unjust right to recreate or rework a classic song by an established artist. Then, there are some bands that have earnt the respect of the industry, so can live up to the mountain that stands before them. I arranged for the song in question to be transferred to me via IM, but Paul would not be available at 8pm this evening. So instead he placed them all on his server and gave me access to a shared directory. Eagerly I downloaded the track as soon as I got in from work. My reaction? Very few artists can show Michael Jackson, the respect he deserves and still hold true the most important integral parts of the song. It continues the airy feel of the original yet captures the raw feeling, with a more acoustic arrangement. The vocals are strong, matching and at times surpassing, The King Of Pop. Almost acapella, with the guitar strumming in the background, in place of the electronic synthesized beats from the Thriller original. The super group are back, and not a minute too soon. As Aderemi put it in his notebook (blog is far too common, these days!) they are purely soulful and old school. Just like, when an icon of the 1980s, was at his BEST! 😉