Michael McDonald: A Tribute to Motown—Live

Former Doobie Brothers lead singer and solo artist Michael McDonald has built a third career out of covering Motown classics. In this PBS-aired 2005 Soundstage tribute to the titular Detroit hits factory, the blue-eyed-baritone crooner serves up a solid 14-song set with guest stars including Billy Preston, India.Arie, Toni Braxton, and the a cappella group Take 6. Drawing from his 2003 and 2004 Motown CDs, McDonald performs Stevie Wonder's “I Was Made to Love Her” and Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On?” (both with Preston), as well as Gaye's “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” the Stylistics' “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)” (with Braxton), and Smokey Robinson's “Tracks of My Tears” (with Take 6), among others, steadily building up to a rousing three-song set with India.Arie—Ashford & Simpson's much-covered “You're All I Need to Get By,” “Ain't No Mountain High Enough,” and “Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing”—followed by the audience-on-their-feet closer, Martha & the Vandellas' “Nowhere to Run.” Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, this is a fine complement to the earlier Soundstage release Michael McDonald: Live in Concert (VL-1/05). Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)