Michael Mcdonald - Blue Obsession

Well into the '80s, Michael McDonald was California rock's white-soul singer of choice. The '90s saw his commercial stock falling, though, and the indie-label Blue Obsession is his first disc in years. McDonald has hardly shifted his allegiances; the studio-crafted grooves and plummy vocals here could have come from any of his post-Doobies records. The music rarely surprises--though the opening cut, "All I Need," does indicate that McDonald may be at least sympathetic to hip-hop--but he does throw a curve with a cover of Neil Young's "Down by the River" that probably won't capture a lot of airplay on smooth-jazz stations. --Rickey Wright