Michael Jackson ft. will.i.am: 'The Girl Is Mine 2008'

A lot of people reckon Michael Jackson lost his magic touch in the mid 90s. After he inflicted the likes of 'Earth Song' and 'You Are Not Alone' upon us, people called for him to move forward, advising him to work with trendy hip-hop stars and the latest uber-cool producers. However, those who encouraged Jackson to update his sound will be eating a large plateful of their own words after hearing this single. A re-working of his 1982 hit 'The Girl Is Mine', it sees Black Eyed Peas ringleader will.i.am taking a sledgehammer to the original and, in the process, sticking a pitchfork in the heart of Jackson's musical legacy.

Quite why anybody who owns the sheer genius that is Thriller would want the 25th anniversary edition, from whence 'The Girl Is Mine 2008' came, is baffling in itself. (Jackson fans are advised to keep their fingers crossed for a new studio album, however unlikely, instead of forking out for this crass cash-in, which pads the original nine-track album with five entirely unnecessary remixes). While will.i.am does nothing to counter the argument that, as a knob-twiddler, he's vastly overrated, his vocal contribution to 'The Girl Is Mine' is the true shocker. Taking over from the restrained, delicate tones of Paul McCartney on the original, his interjections are needlessly aggressive and sound as hip and modern as a PJ and Duncan single.