The Doobie Brothers' 'Liberté' - Album Review

I have only been listening to The Doobie Brothers properly for the last couple of years, but they have fast become one of my favourite bands. They never really made huge waves here in the UK, which probably contributed to my apathy when it came to giving them a proper listen, but they were a band that would occasionally come up in conversation. I had always intended to check them out, and even bought a couple of second-hand LPs of theirs a few years ago, but it took a documentary series from Katie Puckrik called I Can Go For That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock to finally make me sit up and take notice. Having finally got into Steely Dan not too long before watching the programme, hearing the late-1970s incarnation of The Doobie Brothers made me a fan - and since then I have amassed their whole discography. Despite hearing songs like Takin' It to the Streets and What a Fool Believes on the documentary, the albums I started with were 1973's The Captain and Me and 1974's What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits - as these were the two LPs that I had picked up previously. I soon came to learn of the band's two eras: the Tom Johnston era and the Michael McDonald era; and grew to love both equally. For me, the eight-album run from 1972's Toulouse Street to 1980's One Step Closer is one of the best runs of albums from anyone out there - and even the albums that fall outside of that core run are packed full of great songs. All that was needed to complete my Doobie Brothers fandom was a new album to look forward to; but history suggested that this might be a long time coming. Despite remaining a busy touring act over the past couple of decades, new material from the band has been sparse. Prior to last month, the last album of original material to be released by the band, World Gone Crazy, came out in 2010 - with The Doobie Brothers largely becoming something of a nostalgia act since. This all changed last month, however, as the band released their fourteenth album of original material Liberté. I remember reading an article a couple of years ago suggesting that the band was working on a new EP with producer John Shanks, but clearly those sessions were fruitful as the EP turned into a full-length album. The twelve-track Liberté features the band's current core three of Johnston, Patrick Simmons, and John McFee alongside Shanks and a number of guest musicians. I have been enjoying the album a lot, but I have to admit that I was sceptical going in. Shanks is known as a pop producer, as well as being Jon Bon Jovi's right-hand man for the past couple of decades - during which time he has co-written a lot of Bon Jovi's recent bland output. With Shanks producing, co-writing, and performing on Liberté, I feared that it would be similarly bland. I was pleasantly surprised, then, to find that the album is not only a very Doobie Brothers-sounding album, but a very good Doobie Brothers-sounding album. The band's core mix of rock, blues, R&B, country, and folk is present; with the album's 12 songs containing plenty of subtle variety throughout. Given the album's digestible length too, the album has an old-school feel despite Shanks' modern production job.

One thing that I should get out of the way first, however, is that this is very much a Doobie Brothers and Shanks album. Shanks has co-written every song here, and is the dominant player musically throughout. The band's core members are largely relegated to singing the lead vocals and contributing some guitar work - but a lot of what you hear comes from Shanks. Multi-instrumentalist McFee only appears on five of the 12 songs, for example, and most of the band's long-time touring musicians are absent too - with the exception of keyboardist Bill Payne and bassist John Cowan (although only Cowan's voice was utilised). It would have been nice if the album had been more of a true band effort, but at least the spirit of The Doobie Brothers' sound resides within. The album kicks off with the catchy Oh Mexico, an upbeat pop rocker sung by Johnston that recalls the more laid back rockers found on the band's early albums. Session drummer Victor Indrizzo lays down a shuffling groove that really sets the tone for the the song, while Johnston and Shanks add jaunty guitar rhythms and bluesy slide guitar melodies. The combination works well, and the result is a groovy track that really sounds like The Doobie Brothers of old. It helps that Johnston's voice still sounds great, and he sings the song with real conviction - with even the slightly flamenco-influenced chorus packing a punch. It is easily the most obviously infectious song here, and it gets the album off to a strong start. Better Days introduces Simmons for the first time. Simmons has always spearheaded the country and folk side of the band, and it is fitting therefore that most of his songs here are laid back. Better Days is an acoustic-led piece that is filled with lots of gorgeous vocal harmonies -  as well as plenty of subtle guitar leads from Shanks. The keyboard talents of Payne are also on show throughout, who adds a lot of depth to the track with his subtle organ washes and occasional piano melodies. It is a song that showcases the overall depth that the album has, and repeated listens reveal more layers of instrumentation. Don't Ya Mess With Me shines the spotlight back on Johnston, and also ups the toughness. It is easily the most hard rocking track here, and it opens with a classic Johnston riff - which drives the verses with its brash chord changes. Session king Jeff Babko adds some subtle barroom piano, but it never dominates the song. This is very much a guitar-based track, but the piano adds depth, and a soaring hard rock-style guitar solo again recalls the band's early albums. The band have been playing this song on tour over the past few months, and I can see why. It is a high-energy track that is made to be heard live, with its catchy chorus and bluesy soloing sure to go down well.

Cannonball is another Simmons track, and it introduces his love of bluegrass to the album. Shanks' dobro dominates early on, but the song is very layered - with guitars from Simmons, McFee, and Shanks weaving in and out of each other throughout. Despite the song's country vibes, it is still a pretty upbeat song. The chorus is pretty catchy, which is helped by the song's jaunty pace, and a great little guitar refrain that rears its head a couple of minutes into the piece provides another hook. It is also one of the few songs here to feature the voices of all three band members - which gives the piece the band's authentic trademark vocal sound. Staying with Simmons, Wherever We Go ups the pace somewhat. It is not exactly a hard rocker, but there is a lot more energy here than in most of Simmons' other contributions to the album. The song is once again acoustic-led, but it is packed full of pop hooks - which perfectly suit Simmons' understated vocal delivery. Both of the band's two main singers still sound great vocally, and Simmons certainly does not sound 73 while singing the jaunty country rock track. The chorus is packed full of hooks, while Shanks' varied guitar playing mixes big acoustic guitar patterns with jangly leads to keep the song interesting. The American Dream is tougher and is built around a classic Johnston-sounding riff that is backed up by subtle slide melodies. Despite the tougher sound, the song is not exactly a hard rocker. There is still plenty of the band's trademark diversity throughout, and the bluegrass influences are still present. McFee adds both mandolin and banjo throughout, with the latter in particular showing up during the punchy chorus. The Doobie Brothers have never truly been a hard rock band, and their inclusion of a number of other sounds throughout their songs showcases this. Even a relatively rocking track like The American Dream can be twisted into a rootsy number with the additional of some bluegrass instrumentation - and that is a big part of what makes me such a big fan. Shine Your Light is more of a ballad, but it retains the country vibes of the last couple of tracks. Johnston is known for writing the band's more rocking material, but Shine Your Light is one of his compositions and it suits his voice nicely. It is not as country-influenced as a Simmons ballad would be, with some of the country elements instead replaced by a more atmospheric approach. It is one of the album's most atmospheric pieces overall, and as a result showcases the playing of Payne once again - who's organ and piano throughout are a big part of what makes the song great. We Are More Than Love is another slower song, but it is less atmospheric than the previous cut as it is built around Simmons' acoustic guitar playing. It is one of the simplest songs here, with subtle keyboards and drums backing up Simmons' guitar - but the best part of the song for me is the use of vocal harmonies. Johnston and Simmons harmonise well for the song's subtle chorus, and it is great to hear the two singing together - as the blend of their voices has always been a big part of the band's success.

Easy ups the pace again, and the track is a classic Doobie Brothers upbeat pop rocker. It is similar to Oh Mexico somewhat, but without that song's subtle flamenco influence, and it is packed with hooks. Energetic percussion compliments Indrizzo's drumming throughout, while McFee's occasional swells of lap steel ensure that the band's trademark bluegrass sounds once again included. Overall, however, the song is most memorable for its easy-going chorus. It is one of the album's catchiest moments, with big country-tinged vocal harmonies backing up Johnston throughout. It is another song that would easily work well live - and it is a throwback to the band's mid-1970s work. Just Can't Do This Alone is not quite as upbeat, but it maintains a jaunty pace throughout. Acoustic and electric guitars mix well throughout, while pulsing synths give some extra weight to the chorus. It is another song that contains lots of classic Doobie Brothers tropes, but there is also a bit of a modern sound throughout too. The keyboard sounds used are certainly less organic than would be typical for the band; and the country influence feels a bit more modern this time around. It works well however, and the closing guitar solo is packed full of melody. Simmons' final contribution to the album is the pure country of Good Thang. His guitjo (a six-string banjo) dominates the verses, while McFee adds some additional guitar textures. Like We Are More Than Love, the song is pretty simple overall. There is not as much depth here as there is in most of the other songs, but as a piece of pure country rock it succeeds. Again, the country sounds here are quite modern - but it works well. Simmons' voice throughout sounds strong, and the guitar solo soars - which is something of a theme here. The album comes to a close with the gentle Amen Old Friend, a Johnston ballad that has a big sound thanks to a string backing and plenty of vocal harmonies. Payne's piano is one of the song's dominant sounds, but Shanks' guitar playing is also strong. This is not a song that emphasises virtuoso playing, however, and instead it goes for a more emotional approach. The strings add a lot of depth, and help the song to soar, while the chorus' big vocal approach compliments the strings nicely. The way that the song has been arranged makes it sound like a true album closer too. The Doobie Brothers are rarely an epic-sounding band, but Amen Old Friend is as close to epic as they get thanks to the strings and the huge vocal arrangement. It ends the album on a gentle, but powerful, note and it shows the band's ability to write emotional pieces. As a relatively new fan of the band, hearing new material from them is great. Liberté is not a classic, but there is a lot to enjoy here - and the band's trademark mix of sounds is intact despite the huge involvement of Shanks. I imagine it will be some time before we hear more new material from the band, if we ever do again, but Liberté is a great addition to the band's strong catalogue - with a number of the songs here being real earworms.

The album was released on 29th October 2021 via Island Records. Below is the band's promotional lyric video for Shine Your Light.