Breh window and time frame is irrelevant. You mentioned Michael he had a five year gap from bad to dangerous. And Bobby was still active between DBC and Bobby dropping singles and various remix albums. Bobby wasn’t a good album. Period.
Not saying anything about the album, but window and time frame is important when you're establishing yourself or at your peak. Bobby was only two albums in. He couldn't afford the luxury of dropping whenever he wanted like Michael, the literal biggest star in the world. He had to strike while the iron was hot because he was just becoming a superstar. Waiting too long to drop helped lessen that initial buzz he had.
It's like in hip hop. Run-D.M.C. dropped Raising Hell in '86 and they became one of the biggest musical acts in the world. They went triple platinum, got a million-dollar endorsement deal with Adidas. Michael Jackson wanted them on Bad and they were close to collaborating with him. The plan was for them to come out with their next album in '87, along with a movie and a book that same year. They probably would have topped Raising Hell's numbers if that happened.
Only the book came out on time. The album and movie were delayed for a year, and when '88 came around, they were already being surpassed musically by other rappers. A year later, Slick Rick treated them like has-beens in an interview, and they never reached that '86 peak again.
