Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald

SOUL SPEAK
Michael McDonald Is Fluent in the Language of Love
Michael McDonald has been making hits for four decades. In the ‘70s, the St. Louis native transformed the rockin’ Doobie Brothers into blue-eyed soul brothers with hits like “Takin’ It to the Streets” and “Real Love,” and enjoyed solo success in the ’80s with Top 40 favorites such as “I Keep Forgettin’ ” and “On My Own” with Patti LaBelle. More recently, the Grammy-winning crooner lent his trademark vocals to two popular Motown retrospectives. Soul Speak, his third disc for the legendary label, includes more Motown classics, along with remakes of songs by Van Morrison, Teddy Pendergrass, and Burt Bacharach, plus three new songs. During his stop in New York City for two rare performances at the Blue Note, the 56-year-old singer spoke candidly with B&N.com’s R&B editor, Tracy E. Hopkins, about his new disc, brotherly love in the Bush era, and more.

Barnes & Noble.com: I saw you perform at the Blue Note, and it was like a church revival. Where did you gain such a black church sensibility?

Michael McDonald: As a piano player I’ve always been drawn to that style of playing. And in St. Louis, a few guys I played with grew up playing in church. So early on I learned there was power in voicing piano chords a certain way that brings energy to the music. It’s not really my background, as much as it’s from other people I’ve played with over the years. As much as I love rock ‘n’ roll and other types of music, I’ve always felt that gospel is one of the most powerful and exhilarating [styles of music]. I love Rodgers and Hammerstein as much as I love the Clark Sisters. But for sheer power, gospel has it over [other genres]. Musically, gospel breaks the rules and I like that, especially in terms of chordal harmony. That releases an energy that I’ve always been drawn to.

B&N.com: Your performance of “Takin It to the Streets” really underscored those gospel elements. Was that your goal, to make a gospel song in your way?

MM: For as long as I can remember, I’ve gingerly walked that line between being preachy and trying to say something people can relate to. I believe most people are inherently interested in creating a world where nobody gets trounced in the process. There are plenty of people who don’t seem to give a damn about anyone but themselves. So when [a politician] says [he or she] will cut wasteful spending and save them on taxes, they run to that. God bless ‘em, but they end up paying the price like everybody else. When [politicians] talk about cutting wasteful spending and defending America, they are just lining the pockets of their friends for their own private enterprise. I thought [Barack] Obama was brilliant when he said that Al Qaeda wasn’t in Iraq until McCain, Bush, and Rumsfeld decided to completely destabilize the area. Now we have Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. There are a lot of people who will listen to anything and think this person is on their side. And we wind up with economic policies that are more like a looting after a riot and foreign policy that stinks. People who allow their fears to be preyed upon because they think someone will get what’s theirs -- that’s a pathetic way of looking at society. But I still believe there are enough people out there who know better. Sometimes entertainers get on a soap box because we want to see who still believes in a world we really want to leave our children.

B&N.com: With Soul Speak, you stray from the Motown catalog and include songs by Van Morrison (“Into the Mystic”), Leonard Cohen (“Hallelujah”), and Bob Marley (“Redemption Song”). How were those songs selected?

MM: Honestly, with the Jobete [Motown] catalog we could do ten years worth of Motown records, and we’d probably still be cutting songs that were top five in their day. It’s an incredibly rich catalog of wonderful songs. But from a listener’s standpoint, we felt that instead of making another strictly Motown record, we might widen the [range]. Every [record] deal is a certain amount of albums, and you never know. I’d like to be with Motown forever, but I don’t know if that will be the case. And I didn’t know how many of this type of record I would do in the future. So with this one, I thought we’d do some other songs we’ve always liked and wanted to cut.

B&N.com: You must feel a great sense of accomplishment being on Motown and putting your stamp on classic songs by greats like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. On the other hand, it must be a daunting task. Were you apprehensive?

MM: Definitely, with each song. I was in London playing a gig when the concept was brought to me. At that time the thought was to use the original masters with a different singer, and I didn’t like that idea. I was more comfortable re-recording [the songs] or trying a different take on them. I didn’t know what I was going to do at that moment, but I heard “Motown” and had to say yes. My first thought was, why would they ask me? Why not some young black artist who really shares the history in a closer sense? But I couldn’t say no. At the same time I was having second thoughts from the very beginning. The only thing I could comfort myself with was that I’d sung these songs for years over and over again in clubs or at the piano at home. I’d emulated these vocalists over the years, so at least I had some grasp on how I would approach it.

B&N.com: You have three new songs, including the ballad “Only God Can Help Me Now.” Was there a conscious effort to fit the new songs to the mood of the covers?

MM: I worried about how the new songs would fit the record, and we reserved our judgment on that until the end. Then when we played the record, it was uncanny how well those songs fit. And again, it was something to bring to this project that we didn’t do on the first two.

B&N.com: Your career is still going strong, but what are the highlights thus far?

MM: Definitely both bands I’ve played with -- Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. I’ve had some of my happiest and most exciting times in my career with them. Looking back, mostly my friendships with those people I still know and have an opportunity to play with. I would never have dreamed that I could still get on the stage with Steely Dan, especially since they broke up [at one point]. And the Doobies are back together and sounding better than eve,r and every once in a while I have the pleasure of taking the stage with those guys. For me, what makes my life rich is I still get to make music with people I worked with 30 years ago.

B&N.com: You have such a signature voice. Are there any new artists whose vocals have really made you take notice?

MM: Sure, lots…. I’m trying not to have a senior moment. I really love Imogen Heap’s voice. I think she has a brilliant, expressive voice, and her musicianship and writing go so well together. I love Ryan Adams. I like Damien Rice. And in the R&B realm there are so many great singers it’s hard to pick one.

B&N.com: How do you feel about the blue-eyed soul label?

MM: I think any label is fine, short of anything derogatory. I’m flattered that people think I can bring something to a genre of music I grew up listening to. My favorite artists growing up were Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Bobby Bland. Those guys seemed to sing with a heartfelt enthusiasm that was so sincere. When I listen to those singers, I think, you can’t stylize that stuff. That’s what I learned from those singers, that you’re singing the song in this moment. You’re not borrowing anything from the last time you sang it. If you can somehow tap into that something spontaneous that I think people respond to, that’s the whole exercise for me – not to worry about how I’m singing it, but from where I’m singing it. I try to let the song sing itself.

March 5, 2008