The completely unnecessary ‘Chicago XXVI’ was just a cash grab meant to lure fans into re-buying familiar songs. A flaccid bonus-track remake didn’t help.

‘Livin’ on the Fault Line’ was the Doobie Brothers’ lowest-selling Michael McDonald-era album. But it might just be the band’s best.

It was Baltimore, on a hot September night, and Michael McDonald, on his second solo tour since the breakup of the Doobie Brothers.

Bernie Chiaravalle joined Preston Frazier to discuss collaborating with Michael McDonald, early inspirations and his next solo release.

Even in my jazz-centric world, I can come upon enough standout non-jazz records to put together a decent-sized Best of 2017 list.

Preston Frazier’s Best Rock and Pop of 2017 list touches on projects from established legends, as well as up-and-coming and criminally under-appreciated acts.

‘Wide Open’ may well be Michael McDonald’s most musically dense and compelling studio project – and that’s saying something.

Steely Dan’s ‘Aja’ set the bar for finesse in pop and rock music, and that bar hadn’t been cleared yet.

Michael McDonald’s “Find It In Your Heart” fits comfortably in his canon of strong love songs, and is a welcome return of the master.

The Doobie Brothers’ ‘Minute by Minute,’ released on Dec. 1, 1978, features most people’s favorite Michael McDonald-era song. But mine’s not “What a Fool Believes.”