Last week was the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, prompting hundreds of homage mixtapes and covers. Once again, Aloe Blacc and the Truth & Soul band prove to be the Rolls Royce of soul music – not to be confused with the Rose Royce of soul.
Aloe Blacc knows how to refashion a classic song. He finally put “Femme Fatale” into perspective with the help of Truth & Soul. Now, he's illuminated the lyrics to “Billie Jean” like the sidewalk in the video. At first, I was shook – that's not how the bassline goes, dagnabbit! – then I settled into the bluesy rendition and fell in love with “Billie Jean” all over again. I have enjoyed the disco dance of “Billie Jean” since I was a wee lad, dancing in the living room to the music video, but hearing Aloe Blacc put emphasis on the words of this cautionary tale is the first time I've ever felt the weight of MJ's words.
Be careful who you love, ya'll.
