Six most interesting Michael Jackson cover songs

  Dailymotion photo

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" so goes the saying.

Cover songs are the best way to pay tribute to excellent musicians and songs. Some straight up copy the tune, some take it and tweak it to make it fresh and new.

Since MJ's untimely death, I've noticed folks posting Michael Jackson covers in every style from Mariachi to ballad-esque. Here are some of the most interesting covers I've seen.

Disclaimer: Just because you put on the sequined jacket, it doesn't mean your version of an MJ song is going to be good. Put on the jacket and make it your own. Make it interesting.

Sorry, Fall Out Boy and Alien Ant Farm will not be on this list. This is of course my own personal preference, but I don't find these covers very interesting. This is my criteria for these six:

- Does the artist make the song their own?

- Does the artist keep the integrity of the MJ original?

- Last but not least, is the cover fun to listen to?

1) "Billie Jean" - This is the Sway Machinery performing at the Festival of Jewish Culture in Cracow. The Sway Machinery is combines funk, afrobeat, Eastern European brass band, blues and Jewish religious music to create a funky, sometimes bizarre groove. That is Colin Stetson (Arcade Fire) playing the infamous "Billie Jean" bass line on the baritone saxophone. Jeremiah Lockwood is on vocals and guitar.

2. Chris Cornell's cover of "Billie Jean" recorded live in Sweden. Cornell has some amazing pipes; the guy can sing. This performance brings out the emotions described in the story of the lyrics.

3. This is the velvet voiced Wolf Larsen and her cover of Billie Jean. I've just learned about her, but I'm hooked on her retro folk-jazz style. Check out Larsen's myspace page, she's playing in San Francisco this summer!

billie jean from wolf larsen on Vimeo.

4. This might be my favorite on this list, simply because it's so fun to listen to: a Mariachi performance of "Beat It" at an Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama from last year. This video "just goes to show how multi-talented Mariachi musicians are! And especially here in the US, this video is evident that [the musicians] relate to both the Mexican and American cultures!" says Cynthia Munoz, producer of the Texas Mariachi Vargas Concert Tour. These guys are like jazz musicians in that they can pull out and perform a tune simply by request.

5. Kina Grannis' cover of "Do You Remember" is a simple singer/songwriter version with added vocal garageband harmonies. Kina became an internet phenomenon after winning a songwriting competition for Doritos a couple years ago. She is one of the most subscribed to musicians on youtube and posts a new video of a cover or orginal tune every Monday. Sometimes her sisters sing with her as well. (Check out her cover of Rhianna's "Disturbia".)

6. I was almost not going to include Mariah Carey's cover of "I'll Be There" since it's so famous. But she's so good. The arrangment is so good. It's just a gorgeous performance.

Anymore that you know of? Please let me know!