JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
MICHAEL MCDONALD
|
|
| With his husky, soulful baritone, Michael McDonald became one of
the most distinctive and popular vocalists to emerge from the laid-back
California pop/rock scene of the late '70s. McDonald found the middle ground
between blue-eyed soul and smooth, soft rock, a sound that made him a star.
He initially essayed his signature style with the Doobie Brothers, ushering
in the group's most popular period with hits like "What a Fool Believes" and
"Taking It to the Streets." McDonald disbanded the group in 1982 to pursue a
solo career, which was initially quite successful, but by the end of the
decade his popularity had faded away, since he was reluctant to work
regularly and hesitant to update his sound to suit shifting popular tastes. After singing backup on several Steely Dan albums in the mid-'70s, Michael McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers in 1977. He was largely responsible for moving the group away from boogie rock and toward polished, jazzy blue-eyed soul. Prior to the Doobies' farewell tour in 1982, he sang harmony on several hit singles, including tracks by Donna Summer, Toto, Kenny Loggins, and Christopher Cross. As it turned out, McDonald's solo work was a cross between the Doobie Brothers' white-bread soul and Cross' adult contemporary ballads. McDonald released his solo debut, If That's What It Takes, in 1982. The record climbed to number six on the strength of the number four single "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," which also crossed over into the R&B Top Ten. In 1983, he had another Top 20 pop hit (and a Top Ten R&B hit) with his duet with James Ingram, "Yah Mo B There." McDonald didn't deliver his second solo album, No Lookin' Back, until 1985. The record wasn't as successful as its predecessor, producing only one moderate hit in its title track. He bounced back the following year, when his duet with Patti LaBelle, "On My Own," shot to number one and "Sweet Freedom," his theme for the Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines comedy Running Scared, climbed into the Top Ten. Instead of capitalizing on his revitalized success, McDonald didn't release another album until 1990. The resulting Take It to Heart was a bomb, peaking at number 110. Two years later, his fortunes were revived somewhat when he sang on Aretha Franklin's minor hit "Ever Changing Times" and toured with Donald Fagen's New York Rock and Soul Revue. The following year, he released Blink of an Eye, which was ignored. In 1994, "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" was sampled heavily in Warren G's smash hit "Regulate." By 1996, McDonald had returned to the Doobie Brothers, touring the oldies circuit with the reunited group. The following year, he released Blue Obsession, his first album of new material in three years. He released a Christmas album, In the Spirit: A Christmas Album, in 2001, and began a series of recordings devoted to the Motown catalog with 2003's Motown. Motown Two and Soul Speak followed in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Tribute to Motown Live followed in 2009. McDonald spent the first half of the 2010s touring, both on his own and as part of the Dukes of September revue featuring Boz Scaggs and Donald Fagen. He also became a hip name to drop among younger musicians, appearing on records by Grizzly Bear and Thundercat. In 2017, McDonald returned to recording with Wide Open, his first album of original material in 17 years. ---by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com |
|
|
1982 If That's What It Takes | |||
|
01. Playin' by the Rules 02. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) 03. Love Lies 04. I Gotta Try 05. I Can Let Go Now |
06. That's Why 07. If That's What It Takes 08. No Such Luck 09. Losin' End 10. Believe in It | ||
1985 No Lookin' Back | |||
|
01. No Lookin Back 02. Bad Times 03. I'll Be You Angel 04. By Heart 05. Don t Let Me Down |
06. Sweet Freedom -Bonus Track 07. Our Love (Theme From No Mercy) 08. I Hang On Your Every Word 09. Any Foolish Thing 10. Lost In The Parade | ||
1990 Take It to Heart | |||
|
01. All We Got 02. Get the Word Started 03. Love Can Break Your Heart 04. Take It to Heart 05. Tear It Up 06. Lonely Talk |
07. Searchin' for Understanding 08. Homeboy 09. No Amount of Reason 10. One Step Away 11. You Show Me | ||
|
| |||
1993 Blink of an Eye | |||
|
01. I Stand for You 02. East of Eden 03. More to Us Than That 04. I Want You 05. No More Prayin' 06. Matters of the Heart |
07. Hey Girl 08. What Makes a Man Hold On 09. Blink of an Eye 10. Everlasting 11. For a Child | ||
1997 Blue Obsession | |||
|
01. All I Need 02. No Love to Be Found 03. Obsession Blues 04. Where Would I Be Now 05. Build Upon It 06. The Meaning of Love |
07. Open the Door 08. Kikwit Town 09. Down by the River 10. Someday You Will 11. Ain't That Peculiar 12. You Can't Make It Love | ||
2001 In the Spirit: A Christmas Album | |||
|
01. Angels We Have Heard On High 02. To Make A Miracle 03. Children Go Where I Send Thee 04. Every Time Christmas Comes Around 05. Peace 06. White Christmas/Winter Wonderland |
07. One Gift 08. On This Night 09. House Full Of Love 10. On Christmas Morning 11. World Out Of A Dream | ||
|
| |||
2003 Motown | |||
|
01. I Heard It Through The Grapevine 02. You Are Everything 03. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours 04. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me 05. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing 06. Reflections 07. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) |
08. Ain't No Mountain High Enough 09. All In Love Is Fair 10. I Want You 11. Distant Lover 12. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) 13. Since I Lost My Baby 14. Too High | ||
2004 Motown Two | |||
|
01. You're All I Need To Get By (Album Version) 02. I Was Made To Love Her (Album Version) [feat. Stevie Wonder] 03. Reach Out, I'll Be There (Album Version) 04. Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) (Album Version) [feat. Toni Braxton] 05. Baby I Need Your Loving (Album Version) 06. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (Album Version) 07. The Tracks Of My Tears (Album Version) |
08. What's Going On (Album Version) 09. I Second That Emotion (Album Version) 10. After The Dance (Album Version) 11. Nowhere To Run (Album Version) 12. Tuesday Heartbreak (Album Version) 13. Mercy Mercy Me (Album Version) 14. Baby I'm For Real (Album Version) | ||
2005 Through the Many Winters: A Christmas Album | |||
|
01. Silent Night 02. O Holy Night 03. Come, O Come Emanuel/What Month Was Jesus Born 04. Deck The Halls/Jingle Bells 05. O Tannenbaum |
06. Wexford Carol 07. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 08. Through The Many Winters 09. Christmas On The Bayou 10. Auld Lang Syne/O Tannenbaum (Reprise) | ||
|
| |||
2008 Soul Speak | |||
|
01. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) 02. Living For The City 03. Love T.K.O. 04. Walk On By 05. Still Not Over You (Getting Over Me) 06. For Once In My Life 07. Into The Mystic |
08. Hallelujah 09. Enemy Within 10. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher 11. Only God Can Help Me Now 12. Baby Can I Change My Mind 13. Redemption Song 14. You Don't Know Me | ||
2017 Wide Open | |||
|
01. Hail Mary 02. Just Strong Enough 03. Find It In Your Heart 04. Half Truth 05. Ain't No Good 06. Honest Emotion |
07. Blessing In Disguise 08. Dark Side 09. If You Wanted To Hurt Me 10. Beautiful Child 11. Too Short 12. Free A Man | ||
