Maurice Williams – Last Dance MJ Tribute (Single Review)

Today’s review features the new single by Maurice Williams, “Last Dance MJ Tribute.” A tribute to Michael Jackson.

“As most notice today, there are major economic issues that are causing family hardships that can lead to more crime in society. This is the same dilemma that the people of Gary, Indiana, were experiencing in 1963. The state enacted the first 2% sales tax on retail and everyday goods while also implementing a 2% flat tax on adjusted gross income for residents, and raised corporate tax rates by 1/3. This led to the formation of the iconic band Jackson 5 in 1964.” Michael Jackson’s last tour before he passed away due to medical negligence was called “This Is It”. So for his birthday on August 29, this song tribute, ” Last Dance MJ Tribute,” was released by Maurice Williams

So let’s have a listen …

As a “tribute” song, I guess I was expecting musicians playing altered Michael Jackson riffs, something with a groove, a strong dance beat, a compelling Michael-style vocal. But that’s not what this track is. First, the song is only 1:36 in length, so pretty short. And other than the occasional repeating phrase “Let’s Dance, Let’s Move, Let’s Groove, Dance with Me,” there’s not much here lyrically, except a few kind words about Jackson and his legacy, but really not much of that either.

The track starts with crowd noise and the spoken words, “I never thought he would die that way.” The track goes on to talk about keeping the Jackson name alive, and making change for the new dawn, in order to move on. The rhymes aren’t great, and neither is the singing. Maybe if this was on an album and the next song was a full-blown Michael Jackson style track, fully produced, with excellent musicians, then maybe this kind of thing would be alright, but this song is definitely not suited for release and no radio stations are likely to play it.

Actually, I find the story the artist relayed in his bio section about economic times and tax rates that led to the formation of the Jackson 5, more compelling than the actual song presented. Quite disappointing.

Score/Poor: Maurice Williams’ new single “Last Dance MJ Tribute” is not much of a proper tribute song or even a speech dedicated to the late great pop hero. The track falls flat. It does not deliver on the promise of its namesake. No cool dance grooves, no memorable tribute speech, just nothing. Very unlike the King of Pop. Much love, Beth

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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