Michael McDonald knows exactly what you’re thinking: Didn’t he just do another Christmas album? And yes, Season of Peace is on the way, but this time, he’s got something different—Wide Open, his first album of originals in a decade. “It was like pulling my own teeth out,” he says of the writing process. “I mean, the Motown records were just fun. This was work.”
That work resulted in some of his most personal material, including Hail Mary, which he wrote alone. “It’s about getting to a point where you realize, ‘Oh, I’m still here,’” he says. “You think you’re gonna be sitting in a diaper, watching Price Is Right reruns, but turns out you’re still alive. So what now?”
That existential awareness runs through the record. “I think as you get older, you realize most of life’s victories come from just surrendering,” he explains. “You stop trying to conquer everything and just accept what is.” He’s also got Warren Haynes on Strong Enough, adding some weight to the album’s sound—though, true to form, McDonald already has regrets. “We should’ve cut it live with the guitars,” he says. “Now when we play it, it sounds even better, and I’m like, well, hindsight is 20/20. Or in my case, legally blind.”
Of course, there’s also the looming Minute by Minute anniversary. The Doobie Brothers are still out there, Steely Dan’s still out there, and McDonald’s more than ready to jump in. “People ask me if there’ll be a reunion,” he says. “I always tell them, ‘Look, I’m willing and able, just put me on the damn stage.’”
For now, it’s another tour, another holiday season, and another attempt to outrun time. “I still get up there every night and sing What a Fool Believes like my mortgage depends on it,” he jokes. “And hell, maybe it does.”
So there you have it—Michael McDonald, still standing, still singing, and still wondering what the hell happens next.
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