>i mean he was never a threat at being a top tier solo
>artist.

The post was not about Peabo but he did come to mind as an artist whose 80s were much more beige than their 70s material.

>Jeffrey Osbourne talented artist and he had a good formula

I like Osbourne, his voice was/is great. I would probably rate his status as higher than a journeyman, especially if you count the LTD years, but he likely won't be on any all-time great lists.

>Lionel Richie always did his thing and never changed

I admit I have not really thought of Lionel emulating the Ray Charles aesthetic of being able to do any style and be very credible/successful with it. You may be onto something here.

In my opinion, Lionel, Ray Charles and even Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson all have corny or white bread songs ... but the thing about it is that I still felt (some of) them.