In Brief

** Freddie Jackson, “Here It Is,” RCA. Could Jackson be the Michael Bolton of black music? Back from a lengthy recording hiatus, Jackson really oversings to his heart’s content on several cuts. “Was It Something” and “How Does It Feel” fare well under such treatment, but his overemoting on the love-gone-wrong ballad “My Family” doesn’t make sense. Like Bolton, Jackson lacks much in the sincerity department.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).