Jermaine Jackson Ultimate Collection Hip-O Records/Universal by Frank K. Darmstadt

As the brothers Jackson plan to regroup for an homage to Michael and his eclectic thirty-year solo career, this recent release from brother Jermaine is worth evaluating.

Apart from Michael, Janet is the only sibling to achieve a worthwhile solo career (and she is notably absent from the planned festivities to take place at Madison Square Garden) while other members found spotty commercial success. Remember LaToya and her attempts to hit the charts in the 1980s with "If You Feel the Funk" and "Heart Don't Lie"?

Jermaine Jackson made a number of solo recordings since the early 1970s; only a handful made any dent on the charts and with record buyers. Possessing a sweet falsetto that can sometimes recall a Johnny Mathis-like bel canto, Jackson was at his best making fun music that did not try too hard to be about anything of importance.

Jackson earned a gold record with the Stevie Wonder-penned "Let's Get Serious" (the full-length version of this driving cut is on this CD), hit the top 10 with a 1972 sweet cover of the oft-recorded "Daddy's Home", and reached the top 20 in 1982 with "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" featuring Devo (!) and their inimitable deadpan backing vocals.

For his eponymous debut with Arista Records in 1984, Michael's label Epic refused Jermaine to release "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming" as a single even though many radio stations added the track immediately. Curiously, Jermaine's fantastic duet with Michael recorded at the time of Thriller is not included on this collection.

Despite some entertaining singles, Jermaine Jackson was never able to create a coherent body of music outside of Michael (and later Janet) that interested the public and the radio community. Did he lack the talent? The creativity? The timing?

The Ultimate Collection hints that all of the above are probably true.