Michael Jackson & Akon’s “Hold My Hand”: Finally, A Proper Posthumous MJ Offering

Erika Brooks Adickman | November 15, 2010 4:20 pm

One assumes that’s not Michael Jackson and Akon joining digits on the cover of their “Hold My Hand” single, i.e. the first official one issued off the upcoming Michael (out December 14). But unlike with “Breaking News,” we are assuming this is the actual voice of the King Of Pop on this song. Listen below. Lyrically, “Hold My Hand” isn’t going to cause Shakespeare to suddenly crawl out of his grave and do back flips through the Holy Trinity Church. But there is a combination of factors here working in the song’s favor.

[wpaudio url=”//idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Michael-Jackson-Hold-My-Hand-Duet-with-Akon.mp3″ text=”Michael Jackson & Akon – Hold My Hand” dl=”0″] The first being that Jackson fans, both hardcore and casual, will probably be elated to hear the singer’s voice once more on a solid pop single. Then there’s the fact that “Hold My Hand” is a solid pop single. It’s catchy, it’s uplifting and despite the fact that it was left unfinished when originally recorded in 2007, it still features plenty of MJ.

Akon deserves props for effectively polishing the demo up for single release. “Hold My Hand” may not shine like Jackson classics “Billie Jean,” “Man In The Mirror” and “Black Or White,” but it’s surprisingly contemporary, and it’s not hard to imagine the tune sitting on a current Top 40 playlist.

Color us slightly more interested in the upcoming Michael than we were last week.