Hold My Hand Michael Jackson (Duet with Akon), from Michael (Sony, out Dec. 14, available here)
And so it begins. Hold My Hand, a lilting, gently asexual love song, is the first single from Michael, a collection of unreleased Jackson recordings (coming in mid-December).
Granted, the "unreleased" part is only technically true, as a less-polished version of this duet was leaked two years ago and is still on the Web. There's a sweetness to the single that goes beyond the obvious cues (swelling strings, burbling piano, massed backing vocals), while the way the verses double up the rhythm ensures that the sustained title phrase never turns cloying.
The track even manages to make tough guy Akon seem amiably boyish, suggesting that, even in death, Jackson's magic remains potent enough that, as one line puts it, "together we can be all right."
What's My Name Rihanna featuring Drake, from Loud (Def Jam, available here)
Fuelled, like much of her new album, by a slow, sinuous Caribbean groove, What's My Name has great vocal chemistry, contrasting Drake's aggressive, needy rhymes against Rihanna's languid, singsong delivery. But it's the sexual confidence beneath her "hey-na-na" refrain that makes the song sizzle.
Get the Funk Out of My Face Quincy Jones featuring Snoop Dog, from Q: Soul Bossa Nostra (Qwest)
Updating old hits isn't a new gambit for Jones, and his cameo-gorged new album fizzles as often as it sparks. But dropping Snoop into this Brothers Johnson oldie was pure genius, and - as their Letterman appearance made clear - one that works even better live.
Care Kid Rock featuring Martina McBride and T.I., from Born Free (Warner, available here)
Sure it's corn, but Kid Rock is blessed not only with a Midwesterner's faith in platitudes, but a Detroiter's talent for irresistible, genre-jumping melodies. Besides, who else could put McBride and T.I on the same single and make it work?
Goodbye Charlie Haden Quartet West featuring Diana Krall, from Sophisticated Ladies (Emarcy)
Quartet West is Haden's mainstream combo, and Sophisticated Ladies - with cameos by Norah Jones, Melody Gardot and others - is their pass at the jazz vocal market. Gorgeous and string-drenched, yes, but as Krall's deeply moving performance illustrates, the album is anything but fluffy.