If you ask me, R. Kelly‘s “Ignition” remix from his 2003 album Chocolate Factory is one of those tunes that you can’t get out of your head, but not in an annoying way. It’s so damn sexy and smooth, with a killer funky beat that even sounds good when, the song has a complete character transformation–Sinatra style! Please, don’t fight it. Just let the soulful Rayvon Owen, dressed in his best suit, bring a touch of old school swagger to this classic hit you know and love.

Granted, I too was a teensy bit skeptical of this at the beginning, though not because of anything inherent with the song cover. It’s because Owen comes out of the American Idol engine (he was a finalist in season 14), which anyone would struggle with not having some pre-conceived notions of. Luckily, he does a stellar job with this cover, and it’s clear that this kid is at the top of his game. There’s no air of pretension, or that uncomfortable feeling that anything is forced down our throats, or his. He’s also extremely charismatic and likable, which makes the video a pleasure to watch. And so it should be, coming from Postmodern Jukebox! That’s only the most reliable YouTube channel for “pop music in a time machine” that has ever graced our internet waves.

What do you think of Owen’s performance? Did he nail it? Would you like to see more R&B songs given a swing makeover? Reach out on Twitter, or sound off in the comments below.

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HT/IMAGES: YouTube/PostmodernJukebox