The Jackson 5 closed out their celebrated Motown tenure with
Moving Violation, a slight if intermittently engaging LP buoyed, as always, by the brothers' remarkable vocals. A slickly commercial overture to the growing disco audience, the record is a patchwork of borrowed sounds and styles, from the Philly soul-inspired title cut to the percolating nightclub groover "Body Language" to the futuristic climax "Time Explosion." It's telling that the siblings sound most galvanized on an over-the-top cover of
the Supremes' "Forever Came Today," the album's lone nod to Motown's rich legacy. Also noteworthy is the gossamer ballad "All I Do Is Think of You," which anticipates the quiet storm sensibility of the decade to follow. It's also a showcase for the gorgeous sibling harmonies that would begin to fracture with
Jermaine Jackson's subsequent exit from the
Jackson 5 ranks. ~ Jason Ankeny