Ticket 2 Ride

It used to be that a new album from the Doobie Brothers was introduced by a chugging, jangly song on the radio. Those days are long gone. I finally got my hands on a physical copy of Walk This Road (2025).

This is the first album ever with Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and Michael McDonald as co-headliners. Also along is John McFee, a core member of the band for decades, but he’s nearly invisible on the album. Before I get to the individual songs, the way it was recorded was for Simmons, McDonald and Johnston to each bring their songs to producer John Shanks, who would work separately with each writer to build the song. A different set of backing musicians would work on that song, with other Doobie Brothers brought in as needed to add backing vocals, guitar or keyboard overdubs. All four of the Doobies only appear on two songs.

My first thought was that this album might sound like parts of three solo albums and lack the band unity that was always a strength of the Doobies. Shanks co-wrote each song and plays on all of the songs. He has toured as part of Bon Jovi, produced music for Kelly Clarkson, Carlos Santana, Keith Urban, Van Halen, Melissa Etheridge and many others. His resume is impressive. The Doobies worked Shanks on their 2021 album Liberté.

On first listen, the album has a very contemporary sound, very beefy arrangements, and aside from the McDonald songs, the album sounds indistinguishable from other pop-rock being released today. What I’m saying is the songs, other than McDonald’s, lack the unique flavor that Simmons and Johnston were known for. Thankfully, there’s still some harmony vocals being used. After another couple of listens, I like it better, but I wouldn’t put it in the same category as their classic 1970s albums.

1. “Walk This Road” (featuring Mavis Staples)
   Michael McDonald/John Shanks
   3:37 Gospel and soul, signature McDonald song.
2. “Angels & Mercy”
   Patrick Simmons/Shanks
   3:49 Nice song, plenty of Doobie Brothers flavor here. One of the best tracks on the album. Fine guitar work, sizzle.
3. “Call Me”
   Tom Johnston/Shanks
   3:38 A touch of R&B, upbeat tempo with horns.
4. “Learn to Let Go”
   McDonald/Shanks
   4:19 Slow and soulful groove. Another fine tune. McDonald and Johnston on background vocals. Simmons with a smooth touch of guitar.
5. “State of Grace”
   Simmons/Shanks
   4:00 An example of New Country. Songwriting by the numbers.
6. “Here to Stay”
   Johnston/Shanks
   3:56 I’d like to say this is a good rocker, it has a power groove and great Doobie harmony vocals, but it sounds rather generic. Rock and roll heaven?
7. “The Kind that Lasts”
   McDonald/Shanks
   3:47 McDonald is the only Doobie that appears on this song, with session musicians. Very R&B. Why couldn’t McFee or Simmons play the guitar solo instead of the producer?
8. “New Orleans”
   Johnston/Shanks
   3:50 Swampy rock with a touch of R&B. A great groove and power background vocals by Sharlotte Gibson.
9. “Speed of Pain”
   McDonald/Shanks
   3:34 Another interesting groove by McDonald, doesn’t feel fully developed. Interesting, there are three great guitarists in the band and none of them played guitar on this song, Shanks and McDonald did.
10. “Lahaina” (featuring Mick Fleetwood, Jake Shimabukuro, and Henry Kapono)
    McDonald/Simmons/Shanks 4:17 Lahaina is a place in Hawaii that burned in big fire. A jazzy groove. All four Doobies play or sing on the track. Soulful, just a little under developed.

I miss the chemistry of the band; these are incredible and very capable players. I kept waiting for a great solo or musical interlude to breathe some creative spark into these songs. The production felt the same on all the songs; generic and predictable. The songs might have been stronger with a different producer. Shanks has an impressive background, but these song all play it safe and settle into being a great soundtrack for seniors to play cards by or scrapbook.

I really wanted this album to be better. Having them write and record separately was in my opinion, a bad idea. Not having the four Doobies record the songs together sealed the album’s fate.