Like the rest of the soul world, www.soulandjazzandfunk.com is mourning the death of MICHAEL JACKSON. No matter the facts of his personal life (actual and alleged) there is no denying that he was one of the very select few artists who rightly can be called “legendary” and though he was acclaimed “King Of Pop“, he’ll be best remembered as a soul performer – the genre in which he was brought up and which provided his launch pad. Sure, the JACKSON brand of soul wasn’t the chest-beating, gospel-drenched, tear-stained soul of the classic performers but his work was always charged with emotion, passion, drive, energy and commitment and that consistent formula equates to soul – glossy though it might have been. From songs like ‘I Want You Back’ right through to stuff like ‘You Rock My World’, a JACKSON-led song could pack dance floors anywhere while songs like ‘I’ll Be There’ and on to ‘Man In The Mirror’ provided material for both personal and universal reflection. Then there’s the songs that will forever be defined “classics” by anyone’s standard – ‘Off The Wall’, ‘Rock With You’, ‘ Thriller’, ‘Billie Jean’ and many, many more. People who saw him live will testify to the electrifying performances. Then, of course, there’s the mind-blowing statistics – they are the backbone of a musical CV that few have ever matched or ever will. The music world in general and soul in particular has lost a legend.
