Jessie J really brought the swag to this cookin’ cover of Michael Jackson’s number one hit “Rock With You.” Jessie delivered a fresh take to the 1979 hit, performing it in a spanky acoustic arrangement with a killer three-piece band backing her up. She was really vibing on the classic cut from the King of Pop, and she totally let her voice off the chain, providing some epic vocal runs.
You could tell Jessie is a big Jackson fan and she clearly had a ball performing “Rock With You.” It’s no secret that she’s one of the biggest vocal talents in pop, and this was on full display in the studio session cover. The Music Man readers will note that the band were really firing on all cylinders in the session, which was captured by BBC Radio 1Xtra. The BBC’s upload of the clip was a hit on YouTube, drawing 9.6 million views on the platform.
Fans were in awe of the performance, both from Jessie and the band. They added comments below the video such as “Jessie has so much dynamic range. I was expecting her to go in on this song but she really smashed it with the soft voice and moments of power. Great cover and dope players” and “Jessie has such amazing intonation, dynamics and just overall character as a singer. Haven’t heard someone this good in years.”
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The English songstress has made no secret of her love for Jackson, as it’s not the first time she has covered the King of Pop. She also covered Jackson’s “Earth Song” live for the Chinese television show Singer. For “Earth Song,” Jessie stuck closer to the original arrangement, and really brought a tonne of passion to the fore for the performance.
Jackson released “Rock with You” all the way back in October 1979. Rod Temperton wrote the song and initially offered it to Karen Carpenter, but she turned it down. She may have come to regret that decision, as when Jackson took up the tune, he turned it into his third number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100!
The Music Man readers won’t be surprised to hear that longtime Jackson collaborator Quincy Jones produced the funk tune for the pop star. “Rock with You” became the second single from Jackson’s fifth solo studio album Off the Wall. The single fared well internationally but really took off in the US, where it was certified five times Platinum.
If you would like to hear more from this talented artist, you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel and follow them on Instagram for more incredible music.