McDonald has one of the most distinctive baritone voices in pop/rock music, plus he's a fantastic keyboard player and songwriter. Around 1980, he was in high demand, appearing on records by the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Toto, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins. As the CD title implies, this is an inclusive look back at his career. I guess you've pretty much called it quits when you title a CD as the ultimate collection. Still, this is a strong collection. For casual fans like me, this is the only McDonald disc you'll need. These days, it seems McDonald is content to cover Motown tunes (Ain't No Mountain High Enough leads off this disc). I can't blame him; I would, too.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #19 (Aug 27, 2005)
Tracks: The nice thing about this CD is it offers all the hits with The Doobie Brothers (What A Fool Believes, Takin' It To The Streets, Minute by Minute, You Belong To Me, Real Love, and It Keeps You Runnin') plus his hit duets (Yah Mo B There with James Ingram and On My Own with Patti LaBelle) as well as his solo hits (I Keep Forgettin' and Sweet Freedom) and the vaguely familiar "almost" hits (Take It To Heart, I Gotta Try, No Lookin' Back). Then there's the "newer" adult contemporary stuff I've never heard before: 1993's reggae-flavored I Stand For You and the NOLA-flavored Blink Of An Eye; 2000's No Love To Be Found and Open The Door. These tracks aren't bad (in fact, Blink Of An Eye is great), it's just that I don't buy greatest hits CDs to discover new music.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: For what it's worth, I had the soundtrack to Running Scared (which contained Sweet Freedom and other Rod Temperton-written goodness) on cassette.
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