NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Just cue up the first song from the new album by and you'll hear something unusual: harmony, in a new way.
It's not just that soulful blast from marking his first time recording with the band in 45 years. Listen and you'll also hear founding member Pat Simmons and original vocalist Tom Johnston.
鈥淲alk This Road鈥� 鈥� with the always-welcome addition of Mavis Staples 鈥� is a horn-and-slide-guitar slice of bluesy, wailing rock that's also a celebration of a band that has endured changes and re-formed with members now in their 70s.
鈥淪omehow, here we are,鈥� says McDonald. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been friends throughout the years. Our kids have all grown up together and our kids have kind of kept us in contact even at times when we might have dropped off the radar for each other.鈥�
Lots of Doobie activity
The Doobie Brothers, who formed in 1970 and initially broke up in 1982, have a packed 2025 planned: the strong new album and inclusion in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any of us ever even really thought we鈥檇 still be on stage at this age doing this, much less together,鈥� says McDonald. 鈥淭hat we鈥檙e still able to express ourselves artistically is something that鈥檚 not lost on us.鈥�
The North American tour kicks off in Detroit on Aug. 4 and heads to such cities as New York, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Toronto. The opening act will be The Coral Reefer Band.
鈥淲alk This Road鈥� features 10 new songs sung by McDonald, Simmons and Johnston, who collaborated on writing the tracks and play on each other's tunes. Longtime collaborator John McFee also returned for the project.
has something for everyone 鈥� honky-tonk, driving country, flirty Southern pop, moody folk and melodic rock. There are songs about New Orleans and Hawaii. Angels make the lyrics on two songs.
鈥淥ne of the strengths of our live show was the fact that you couldn鈥檛 get bored with any one style of music because everything was kind of a different bag,鈥� says McDonald, who officially reunited with the band on tour in 2019. 鈥淲e like to do that. You know, I think this album is hopefully no different in that respect.鈥�
John Shanks, who produced the band's 2021 album 鈥淟ibert茅,鈥� returned for 鈥淲alk This Road,鈥� lending them his Los Angeles studio, with a writing room upstairs and a recording booth downstairs where each songwriter took turns cutting tracks.
鈥淭he band, I think, presents all of us with an opportunity to do things that we might not do just as individual songwriters,鈥� says McDonald.
Inside the album
While the Doobies have never been a concept band, the album explores seizing the moments, reflects on paths taken and coming to grips with the past.
鈥淭his is a snapshot in time of where the band is and where the writers are,鈥� says Johnston. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 consciously sit down and say, 'Well, we鈥檙e going to try and do this.鈥欌��
One track, "Learn to Let Go," is an unrequited love song that's about letting go of things that hold you back, while 鈥淪peed of Pain鈥� is about how the worst things in life can become the best.
鈥淚n many cases, it鈥檚 just a situation where you have to lose it all. I can鈥檛 tell you how many people I鈥檝e met over the years who have told me that going to jail was the best thing that ever happened to them,鈥� says McDonald. 鈥淚 think total defeat in this world is the great teacher.鈥�
The Doobie Brothers are already members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 鈥� with tracks like 鈥淭akin鈥� It To the Streets,鈥� 鈥淲hat a Fool Believes鈥� and 鈥淢inute By Minute鈥� 鈥� but shortly after the album comes out, they'll be inducted into the
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really great for this band," says Johnston. "I think it鈥檚 great for us as individual writers, but I think it鈥檚 also great for the group, and it kind of carries on the name, if you will.鈥�
McDonald and Johnston both expressed a little surprise that they're still making music with the folks they worked with in their 20s and are still a draw on the road.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just fun to visit all these places musically. It鈥檚 fun to put that out in front of the crowd live. And to do an album now 鈥� I didn鈥檛 picture doing this, but I鈥檓 all for it,鈥� Johnston says.
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
