Songs sung by Michael Jackson--quite specifically, songs sung by Michael Jackson circa Jackson 5*--fall into that small group of songs that I think can never really be done justice as a cover, because so much of the songs is...was...is inseparable from Michael. They're good songs, even great songs, but it's kind of like trying to imagine the law of gravity or the theory of relativity being brought forward by people named Ian Snewton and Anton Feinstein. Of course, they would've been as impactful, but then they would've just as irrevocably be known as Snewton's law and Fenstein's theory.
Okay, that kind of makes no sense. The fact remains, no one can do those songs, not only as Michael did them (which, really, is missing the point of doing a cover, anyway) but in a way that makes you forget or put aside Michael's version for a minute.
That said, the John Eddie cover below, which I heard for the first time today while driving to my parents, gave me a pause...and a half. There's no doubt the accompanying guitar is what sells the piece; otherwise, it could have just been another pretty good, gruff-voiced, emotion ridden performance out of the many that all the pretty good, gruff-voiced, emotion ridden singers put out. Although, to be fair, if you look around at Eddie's live performances, he's possibly a good deal ahead of the majority of the rest of them.
*If you want to see what I thought of songs only associated with his solo career, take a look back here.
I Want You Back (cover) - John Eddie
The original, of course:
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