Review

Half a century into their improbable journey, the Doobie Brothers have managed something rather remarkable with their sixteenth studio effort. What is a surprise – and a very pleasant one – is the return of vocalist Michael McDonald, an intermittent guest of late but now a full participant for the first time since 1980's fractious One Step Closer. This reunion could have been a cynical nostalgia exercise, but Walk This Road proves refreshingly authentic. The band's creative process remains delightfully unconventional - core members Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, and John McFee working individually with producer John Shanks before bringing their contributions to the collective. It's musical democracy in action, and surprisingly, it works brilliantly. The album's ten tracks showcase the band's enduring ability to balance their various musical personalities. Gritty and blues-tinged, Here To Stay, Angels And Mercy – with guitar playing reminiscent of Peter Green's on Oh Well - and New Orleans are throwbacks to the pre-McDonald era, when they were California's beloved bar-band heroes rather than smooth-soul sophisticates. McDonald, now 73 and the youngest Doobie, brings gravitas to proceedings. His contributions, particularly the reflective "Speed Of Pain" with its characteristic rolling piano, feel earned rather than obligatory. The gospel-tinged title track features a stirring guest turn from Mavis Staples that elevates the material beyond mere competence into something genuinely moving. "Lahaina," the closing ballad dedicated to the Hawaiian town devastated by wildfire, benefits from Mick Fleetwood's percussive contributions and showcases the band's newfound maturity. There's poignancy here that feels authentic - these are musicians confronting mortality without self-pity. The production is mercifully restrained, allowing the songs to breathe rather than drowning them in contemporary studio trickery. When "Here To Stay" bursts forth with a cappella harmonies before launching into Steely Dan-esque territory, it feels organic rather than calculated. None of this should really work in 2025, but the fact the Doobie Brothers don't have to exist makes their actual existence all the more worthwhile. Walk This Road is that rarest of beasts - a late-career album that justifies its existence through sheer craft and joy rather than commercial obligation. Sixteen albums in, they're still walking the right road indeed.

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