Love never felt so good: The Michael Jackson of the 80's is back

This is the duet/mashup that most Michael Jackson fans have been waiting for. Justin Timberlake has never made a secret of just how much he is influenced by Michael Jackson. Ever since he moved away from being the face of 90’s boy band N’Sync, his individual style of music has veered towards a more pop feel, backed up with plenty of bass and great dancing to boot. Songs like Rock your body from his first solo album ‘Justified’ had a distinct MJ influence. And while he has undeniably evolved his own style in the years since then, these early influences are still evident in songs like ‘Take back the night’ and ‘Suit and Tie’ from his latest album,The 20/20 Experience.   Which is why a duet - even posthumously - must have really been a dream come true for the 31-year-old star. And we should be all glad that he did it, because this song, quite literally, knocks it out of the park. “Love Never Felt So Good” was written and originally recorded and produced by Michael Jackson and Paul Anka in 1983, and the song sounds like it could easily be on the tracklist of the singer’s iconic ‘Thriller’ album, sitting right up there with classics like Beat it.  It in fact is very reminiscent of P.Y.T, the sixth solo release from the album, which had a tempo of 126 beats per minute, making it one of his fastest songs, and celebrated as ‘frizzy funk’ by music critics at the time. This new release features the singer at his confident best, when he was right at the top of his game. This is the Michael Jackson all his fans prefer to remember - and is a far cry from his last studio album Invincible. And for this we must be thankful. Timberlake slides easily into the song, and compliments Jackson’s vocals perfectly. He sings his parts with confidence and ease, and the joint vocals come out sounding really good together. As a whole it’s toe tapping and you’re bound to listen to it more than once. If you miss Michael and are tired of playing his old songs on repeat, this one is a good addition to make to your playlist. The song is the first single from Michael Jackson’s 8-track album XSCAPE which will go on sale on 13 May. The reception to the song, so far, has been largely positive. USA Today described the song as, “old school snap and tingle with warm leaping strings that recall the melodic and rhythmic punch of Jackson’s work with Quincy Jones”. And given the music environment of today, where songs with a heavy disco-soul inflection are back in style - Daft Punk’s Get Lucky is a case in point - the song is bound to do well.