At their best, the Doobie Brothers are like a slicked-up version of The Band, with rotating vocalists, rich harmonies, and down-home, country-rock rhythms. At their worst, they get lumped into the yacht rock genre with Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan and the like. The worst can be attributed to one man: Michael McDonald. On his own, McDonald produced some legitimately sterling soul, including I Keep Forgettin, a stone jam for the ages. He also backed Christopher Cross on Ride Like the Wind and always seemed to contribute a song to the soundtrack of buddy cop movies starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. But he never quite meshed with his fellow Doobies. Hence, dont lament the fact that hes not touring with them any longer, even though he contributes to a track on their upcoming World Gone Crazy. So does Willie Nelson, and his tracks way better than Mikey Macs. MIKE SEELY
Thu., Aug. 26, 7 p.m., 2010
