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 single, 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, McDonald planned to release Blue
Obsession, his first album of new material in three
years, but the record was pulled from the schedule due
to a conflict between him and his label, Reprise. |
