The beauty in Off The Wall is that it was a chance for Jackson to present himself in a way he hadn’t before. A song like the pop-disco crossover “Rock With You” gives him the chance to step into a different set of patent leather loafers and spread his wings.

Rooted in a more traditional disco groove, “Rock With You“ allows Jackson’s voice to float through the verses in anticipation of a driving chorus. There is a sensuality here in his voice. A mix of pleasing and promise. Of desire and deliverance. Of passion and playfulness. He teases. He coos. He slinks over notes with ease and adds punch when needed.

And all that tease and promise is paid off when that bridge hits and his vocals carry you effortlessly. When he claims “When the groove is dead and gone / you know that love survives / so we can rock forever on,” you believe him. And since his unexpected passing in 2009, these words have become a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts, as 40 years later, we are still tuning in to the energy of his music that lives on.

Again the production and arrangement sees Jones bring his ability to sew together hints of jazz with a funk groove, all topped with Michael singing with a pure sense of joy and excitement. Whereas the majority of songs from the disco era now seem throwaway and soulless, “Rock With You” offers a richness that drips from the slow delivery of the lead vocals, to the oh-so-sweet backing harmonies. It manages to perfectly capture a moment in time and yet remain timeless and eternally captivating.

Frenetic and pulsing with energy, “Working Day And Night” bristles with pure funk. From the opening percussive groove complete with Jackson’s scatting and heavy breathing beat boxing, the song is grounded in the inescapable intensity of the rhythmic track. Jackson’s sweet falsetto conveys the plight of a man so busy trying to please his lover that there is little time left over for actual loving. With blasting horns and piano stabs, the track is a dizzy, hypnotic journey through the pains of unobtainable love that is too good to sit still to.