I adore Michael McDonald's voice so I really want to like his albums because I want to listen to him. But after having listened to all of his latest stuff, I have to say that even though his voice is still fantastic, the cheesy studio music and mediocre production of the tracks makes them for me, unlistenable (don't know if that's a word, but you get the point.) Just when his voice begins to soar, I'll hear the cheesy drum machine, or some musak sounding backup singers. It destroys it for me. Michael needs to find himself a real rock & soul band to put him on top. Musicians who could match what he can do vocally, with a really great producer, is what's needed to make that most of that voice. I'm still waiting.

While it lacks the keyboard and piano playing of Michael he does well especially in the Toni Braxton duet "Stop Look and Listen". His SOUL SPEAK album is much better.

Motown Two (2004) picks up where Michael McDonald's first Motown album ended, and that's not a bad thing. Like it's predecessor, Motown Two features an excellent song selection, close as possible to Motown song arrangements, and expressive and soulful singing from McDonald. There's really not a lot to complain about here, and there's no false advertising. It is what it says. As I was listening to this tonight, I turned on the television, hit the mute button, and watched while I listened to the music. The evening news featured a story about families of fallen American servicemen killed in the war in Iraq. Young widows and their children mostly, but also the parents of these brave soldiers. One image showed a young black widow comforting a young white widow, both with tears in their eyes. McDonald's version of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On was playing. At that moment, it dawned on me just how American the sound and the story of Motown really is. How it belongs to all of us. How much it helped to define the 1960s and 70s. The war, the riots, the assassinations, civil rights, landing on the moon. Michael McDonald's Motown and Motown Two are both really Baby Boomer albums by a Baby Boomer (but to be enjoyed by everyone), a chance to go back to those days, only with a new twist and an updated sound. The production here is completely Motown, and Michael McDonald's credible and expressive interpretations are all right on the money. This isn't ground breaking or anything, it's just a tribute to an important part of American popular music history by a guy who happens to be a damn good American singer. Enjoy both.

Once I heard Michael say that he was too senile to write his own songs anymore. And so now he has relegated himself to being a cover artist? To me that sounds like a slow death sentence - a putting out to pasture to wait to die! This should not be, he needs to hang it up and enjoy his life doing something new (it's not like he needs money). Such would not be a bad thing, but milking what is left of him in his music career in this way is.

I cannot stand these Motown covers, they make me cringe. I really enjoyed McDonald's original work. It is unfortunate that his last album Blink of an Eye did not fair well but I really enjoyed it. If Michael loves doing music still, there are other ways to pursue it than being a has-been-gone-cover-artist!

To me, for Michael to continue trashing Motown songs and doing covers is bringing down his legacy as far as I am concerned. Perhaps not, but it seems that he is saying that his glory days are gone an now he is too old to write his own stuff and so he must do covers. He is now a shadow of his former self. To me, McDonald's continuing his music career in this manner is like watching a once glorious race horse wither away. Either he should retire or seek to record original material written by others - there ain't no shame in that. As for these Motown covers, my ears have had it!

.....but not as good as Mowtown 1. Still his voice is one of the greatest thing I've ever heard.