Thriller 25: Anniversary Edition of Michael Jackson's Classic Features Rappers and More

Thriller is the highest selling album of all time and Michael Jackson catapulted to superstardom from the success of the album. Twenty-five years later, Michael has teamed with some of the brightest stars in music to remake some of the classic material from the album. Will the remakes be able to live up to the success of the original versions?

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' features Akon. The song starts as a piano driven ballad but then builds into the familiar track you expect. However, Akon carries the song with Michael relegated to just harmony parts and an occasional lead vocal. The song is solid and delivers the feeling of the original.

On the remade version of The Girl Is Mine, Michael is joined by Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas fame. The song was such a classic previously and this version just seems to be missing the magic. First all references of Paul McCartney have been erased off this version. Will delivers a fairly standard verse on this otherwise lackluster remake.

On the remake of Billie Jean, Michael is joined by Kanye West. This is one of the better remakes on the album. Kanye adds a new drum track but keeps several of the familiar elements. Kanye also adds a solid string section on the track. The only awkward part is the dance break where Michael would break out the trademark Moonwalk. Musically it just does not seem to fit with the rest of the track.

On Beat It 2008, Michael is paired with Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas over a Will.I.Am produced track. The track captures the essence of the original and is very solid overall.

On the updated PYT (Pretty Young Thing), Michael is once again joined by Will.I.Am. Somehow Will was able to completely modernize this track. It sounds like a song that is completely fresh and from this era not 25 years old. The song also features a solid verse from Will.

For All Time is a track that was unreleased from the original Thriller sessions. The song fits in with the rest of the album and is definitely a special treat for listeners.

Along with all these remakes, all of the classics including Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Thriller, Human Nature, Beat It, The Girl Is Mine, Billie Jean, PYT (Pretty Young Thing), Lady In My Life and others are in their original versions. So you are getting one of the highest selling albums of all time along with new renditions of some of the bigger singles.

Thriller 25 captures all the original magic of Thriller along with teaming Michael with some of today's brightest stars. Overall Thriller 25 gets 9 out of 10. If you are a fan of Michael Jackson and most importantly the Thriller album make sure you pick up Thriller 25 when it is available in stores on February 12.