Album of the Day

As the singer featured on some of The Doobie Brothers’ most popular recordings, Michael McDonald was overdue for a solo album by 1982 and IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES was worth the wait. The Warner Bros. set builds upon the performer’s trademark blue-eyed soul with such tracks as “Believe in It,” “I Gotta Try” and Top 10 single "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" – the collection as a whole went Top 10 on both Billboard’s Pop and R&B charts. It didn’t hurt that producers Ted Templeman and Lenny Waronker had marshaled a small army of top players behind McDonald’s distinctive voice, including jazz virtuosos like Tom Scott and Robben Ford and, on the pop side, members of Toto. A strong debut from the future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES still sounds impressive.