Review commentary on Akon "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

MkGenie

Review commentary on the newest music hitting the airwaves and Internet Akon "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Michael Jackson Cover)" Friday, November 23, 2007 Michael Jackson's Thriller-opening blast of anti-gossip rants and senseless tongue chants signaled a pointed obsession of society's darkest sensibilities that would go on to fuel some of his biggest pop hits. Meanwhile, it's brisk display of digitized funk/ soul with brief horn charts, swooning synthesizers and manic guitar riffs remains an untested dancefloor favorite still garnering kudos from the pop stars of today. Coinciding with Rihanna's recent sampling of it on her club thumper "Don't Stop The Music", Akon also gives props to the Gloved One number, though this semi-cover is more head-scratcher than inspired tribute. Less musically crazed, Akon's subdued re-working throws in some MOR piano underneath the familiar bass groove and excited drum beat while he pens a needlessly new verse about some hooker he meets on the street who entices him into accompanying her to her crib. The rest remains somewhat faithful though the "vegetable" lines and that transcending self-empowering last verse are both oddly omitted. In the end, the cover's purpose never quite makes itself clear; if you're going to mess around with a record so beloved, why bother if your interpretation loses most of the original's appeal? His limited, trumpet-y croon bears none of the flexibility of Jackson's youthful pipes and the new production carries little of the Quincy Jones' zest. What you do get is a surreal move that wants to be an event, but fails to emerge into anything really worth listening to. A pointless curioso, if Akon wants to show some appreciation for the King of Pop, he should just ape the man's dance moves like every other male R&B dancer/ singer of today. http://mixtapemaestro.blogspot.com/2...n-michael.html

weiweitiger

actually no one can reach the flexibility of Michael's voice. Acon is a much better than the others Usher's version of "wanna be starting something " is totally out of tune.