After 1984's "Victory" album and tour and 15 long years as a hitmaking group, The Jacksons went their separate ways. During that period, all the members except that damn Tito recorded solo albums, which were hugely (Michael's "Bad") to moderately (Jermaine's "Precious Moments") to not at all (Jackie's "Be the One", Marlon's "Baby Tonight" and "Randy & the Gypsys") successful. By the time the brothers reconvened in 1989, Marlon had already retired to a real estate career & Michael...well I don't need to explain what Michael was doing, but let's just say he had long outgrown the family unit. The remaining four brothers released "2300 Jackson Street", an uneven collection of then-contemporary pop-soul featuring some future big names.

In Michael's absence, Jermaine & Randy assumed lead vocal duties, and they handle it well. They tag-team well on the L.A/Babyface produced "Nothin' (That Compares 2 U)", with Randy's husky voice handling the verses and Jermaine's signature tenor taking the bridges and the chorus. "Private Affair" is a mellow ballad (written by Diane Warren) about shutting down everyday life and taking time for that special someone. Jermaine's forte is definitely ballads and he handles this one well.

Other bright spots include the Teddy Riley-produced "She" (which features a mean doo-wop breakdown in the intro...the Jacksons remain a highly underrated harmony group), the poppy "Alright with Me" (Jackie's only lead vocal), and the pretty ballad "If You'd Only Believe", emotionally sung by Jermaine. Also noteworthy is the title track, which features cameos by sibs Janet & Rebbie, as well as the elusive MJ. All of the siblings are on this track except for renegade LaToya (who was probably busy posing for Playboy), and Marlon (probably ticked off because his status as the "light-skinned" Jackson was being usurped by his quickly-fading younger brother.)

There is a fair bit of filler on this album. "Maria" shows the Jacksons prescience by being 10 years ahead of the Latin explosion, but the song sucks...as does "Harley". Do we really need a song about a motorcycle? (Chorus: "She's Harley and she's bad, yeah! yeah!" You think Mike could've sued for copyright infringement for the "bad" reference?)

Overall, "2300" is a pretty average album. There are good spots and bad stuff (most of the stuff not produced by the group is pretty decent, actually), and it is better than any solo album by any member not named Michael, with the possible exception of Randy's 1989 effort (if anyone knows where I can get my hands on that, e-mail me). This album definitely suffers from the absence of the group's lead singer, most charismatic & talented member, and principal songwriter, and the group paid for it commercially. "2300" peaked at #59 on the album charts (although it went Gold) and spawned no Top 40 singles. The brothers were dropped from Epic soon after.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving