Out on the road in the 2020s,
the Doobie Brothers feature
Michael McDonald, but when it comes time for the group to cut a record, the band whittles down to the trio of
Tom Johnston,
Patrick Simmons, and
John McFee. Naturally, this means
Liberté -- the
Doobies' first album of new original material since 2010's
World Gone Crazy -- sounds closer to a refurbished version of
Toulouse Street or
The Captain and Me than
Takin' It to the Streets; there's no funky soft rock or smooth blue-eyed soul, just a lot of straight-ahead rock & roll. While
Liberté may be old-fashioned in its aesthetic, this trio of
Doobies take pains to make the album sound contemporary, dressing it in glassy production, generously adding electronic rhythms, and vaguely addressing the turmoil in the modern world. All this flair may announce
Liberté as a 2021 album, but the record works because the
Doobies remain dedicated to the rocking boogie they've been playing for 50 years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine