Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber - Slave To The Rhythm

"She works so hard just to make her way"

Just what the hell is this? I was very surprised to find that this song had mysteriously leaked onto the internet. The original, unreleased Slave To The Rhythm is well-known to hardcore MJ fans, and it's one of my favorite unreleased tracks of his. However, it certainly didn't feature Justin Bieber as a duet partner. Weirdly, this seems 100% legit. The production is a little muddled and demo-like, but that's definitely Justin singing Michael's first-verse lines. The original beat has been amped up a bit and brought into our current music climate. I'm not sure I would've had Bieber start things off, but I'm actually very impressed and surprised at how well his vocals match Michael's here. It's no small feat going toe-to-toe with the King of Pop without humiliating yourself. I'm not sure what will eventually come of this remix (is it a single? bootleg? curio?), but I'm kind of in awe that it exists.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Top 50 Singles Of The Year: 20-16

20. One Direction - One Thing



A pop song manufactured by factory, in the best way possible. Each note is precision-calibrated for massive effect.

19. Justin Bieber - As Long As You Love Me



His coolest, most interesting track. It was the moment I started thinking he could outlast his teen idol status.

18. G-Dragon - Crayon



The most demented, funhouse-crazy single of the year. Took me awhile to warm up to it, but once I did, I couldn't stop returning.

17. Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe



Ubiquitous song #1. Think back to before it was everywhere and how amazing that sugar-coated hook was.

16. PSY - Gangnam Style 



Ubiquitous song #2. Surpasses its novelty status with that massive instrumental dance hook. Infinitely remixable.

Top 20 Albums Of 2012: 14-13

14. Justin Bieber - Believe



A surprisingly mature and well-produced pop album. I was never all that interested in Justin during the younger years (months?) of his career, but now that he's at that point where he needs to prove that he's got staying power in the adult music world, I'm psyched that he's turning into an interesting popstar. The album's not a perfect pop release. There are plenty of songs that could be trimmed. But, the ones that work, work really well.

13. Elton John vs. Pnau



An inspired mash-up. On their own, Australia's Pnau are a formidable force in any music genre. Give them Elton John's back catalogue and they're pretty much unstoppable. Music geeks will find a lot to love in their intricate reworkings of Elton's classics. Most of them are near unrecognizable when melded into the new songs they've constructed.

Pop Blitz 12/8/11

Flo-Rida - Good Feeling
The sample used in this track is an interesting sidestep for Flo-Rida. After that, it's pretty much what you'd expect. Still, for the sample, this deserves at least a solid B

Rebecca Ferguson - Nothing's Real But Love
The song's about as sleepy as I'd expect from this X-Factor runner-up. It's better than Cardle's debut, but nothing I'd listen to regularly (or remember in a year's time). C+

Jason Derulo - Fight For You
What is it up with this guy and samples? I'm sorry, but you don't touch Toto's Africa. This is about 0.000002% as good as the original. D

Avicii - Levels
Where have I heard this before? Ah, yes... two tracks ago with Flo-Rida's song. Yeah, this is the track he sampled (stole?). It's about as good here as it was there. Nothing revolutionary, but pleasant. B

Kelly Rowland - Down For Whatever
Rowland continues with her successful club sound. It's not as good as her prior singles, but this is definitely the genre she should be recording in. I just wish the melody was a little more inventive. B-

Justin Bieber - Mistletoe
It's not easy to write an original Christmas song. This is far from a trainwreck, but it's still pretty stupid. Luckily, it's too damn catchy to dismiss entirely. B-

Jessie J - Domino
I'm no fan of this girl, but this is at least one of her better singles. I would've preferred it sung by someone like Katy Perry. Still, it's solid radio fodder. B

Your Choice: What's your favorite Pop Blitz song this week?

Pop Blitz 12/8/11 Your Choice!

Flo-Rida - Good FeelingRebecca Ferguson - Nothing's Real But LoveJason Derulo - Fight For YouAvicii - LevelsKelly Rowland - Down For WhateverJustin Bieber - MistletoeJessie J - Domino

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Pop Blitz 1/22/10

Goldfrapp - Rocket
This is better than I dared hope Goldfrapp would come back with, especially after their left-turn of a folk-pop album. Bright, summery synths never sounded better. It's like they studied this blog and constructed something to appeal especially to me. A

Young Money - BedRock
I remember when the whole Cash Money brand produced some decent (if incredibly stupid and easily mocked) rap music. I like Lil' Wayne when he was a teenager, or Juvenile's dumb singles, or even the ridiculous "Hot Boys." This is garbage. They took out all of the fun. F

Taylor Swift - Today Was A Fairytale
Let the overexposure begin. How long can she write about fairytales and princes and crap like that? I don't buy that she's always the great lyricist people claim she is. This is sub-par Hallmark card material. Her last one was heaps better. C-

Orianthi - According To You
The guitar is fantastic. Unfortunately, the song's an absolute bore. And, oh my god, who approved of that video? Why the hell is there the neck of a guitar covering the screen half of the time? C

Example - Won't Go Quietly
This could definitely use a stronger chorus. The verses are definitely the best part, but all in all it's pretty forgettable. A time-passer, though I doubt I'll remember it in a few months. B-

Justin Bieber - Baby (ft. Ludacris)
How lucky is this kid? Right place, right time. Like his past singles, it's certainly catchy. I actually kind of like the chorus a lot more than I should. Guilty pleasure, for sure.B

Marianas Trench - Beside You
An emo rock worth noting, especially since I usually hate emo rock. The African elements to this are gorgeous and add an interesting texture to what could've been a boring ballad. A-