... 12-inch, Vinyl record

House mixes by Steve Silk Hurley, E-Smoove and Clivilles & Cole. 12-inch, Vinyl record

The soundtrack to This Is It – the celebratory release of the King Of Pop's rehearsal footage from the days before his untimely death – which also serves as sort of a best of Michael's years at Epic/Sony! It does a fine job of touching on the each of the diverse styles Michael handled in his Epic years, the pioneering guitar accented pop soul magic to the more tender numbers, but, the boon for This Is It is the title track. It's a previously unreleased number with backing harmonies by the Jackson's, a fairly gentle and memorable tune, plus some disc 2 demos. Titles include "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Jam", "They Don't Care About Us", "Human Nature", "Smooth Criminal", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Beat It", "Black Or White", "Earth Song", "Billie Jean", "Man In The Mirror" and "This Is It" (main and orchestra version). Disc 2 includes demos for "She's Out Of My Life", "Wanna Be Startin Somethin" and a "poem" version of "Planet Earth". CD

One of those records that we remember dismissing at the time – but honestly, it really lives up to repeated listenings in later years! Sure, Michael Jackson's no longer working with Quincy Jones – and instead goes for Teddy Riley and some other (then) contemporary producers – but that all makes for a very solid 90s crossover vibe – perfect for radio play a the time, not to mention heavy video rotation too – and definitely still another jewel in the crown of the King of Pop! Titles include "Remember The Time", "Why You Wanna Trip On Me", "In The Closet", "Jam", "Dangerous", "Gone Too Soon", "Will You Be There", "Black Or White", "She Drives Me Wild", and "Can't Let Her Get Away". CD

One of those records that we remember dismissing at the time – but honestly, it really lives up to repeated listenings in later years! Sure, Michael Jackson's no longer working with Quincy Jones – and instead goes for Teddy Riley and some other (then) contemporary producers – but that all makes for a very solid 90s crossover vibe – perfect for radio play a the time, not to mention heavy video rotation too – and definitely still another jewel in the crown of the King of Pop! Titles include "Remember The Time", "Why You Wanna Trip On Me", "In The Closet", "Jam", "Dangerous", "Gone Too Soon", "Will You Be There", "Black Or White", "She Drives Me Wild", and "Can't Let Her Get Away". CD

Narada Michael Walden's first album – and a surprisingly complex approach to spiritual soul, handled with some great guest guitar work by Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana! The approach is somewhere between 70s rock fusion and smooth soul – done with a tight, professional style that persisted on most of Walden's albums from the time. Titles include "You Got The Soul", "Delightful", "First Love", "Meditation", "White Night", and "You Are Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Midtempo groover from Curtis – one of the more overlooked singers of the early 80s, but a sweet soul vocal talent that deserves more notice. This cut's got kind of a Michael Jackson Off The Wall groove – and in our book that's a good thing! 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the bigger efforts from Material – featuring the core trio of Bill Laswell, Martin Bisi, and Michael Beinhorn – plus guest work by Nona Hendryx, Nile Rodgers, Whitney Houston, Archie Shepp, Oliver Lake, and Fred Frith. The mix of jazz and soul talents comes together more nicely than you might think, thanks to Laswell's talents for crossing cultures – and although a few numbers here sound quite dated, overall the album's worth digging out at least for a document of a unique moment. Titles include "Take A Chance", "Memories", "Don't Lose Control", "Let Me Have It All", "Time Out", "Come Down", and "I'm The One'. (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Latimore, Leela James, Detroit Emeralds, Smokey Robinson, John Legend & The Roots, Barry White, Mayer Hawthorne, Michael Jackson, and others. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD