Marvin Gaye Sacd

One year later, McDonald again delves into the Motown bag to come up with another 14 selections from such giants as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson. McDonald is a distinctive enough vocalist to bring something to these classics, as tough as that task is. Unfortunately, the uninspired production and stilted musicianship keeps the likes of "I Was Made to Love Her," "Tracks of My Tears," and Nowhere to Run" from being anything more than dubious offerings to McDonald partisans. Motown became a hit factory as much on the strength of its foot soldiers as it did its commanding stars, but producer Simon Cline employs thin and lethargic backing tracks where some of the most inspired pop playing in history once stood. Return to the Motown source to hear inspired pop soul music.

Blue-eyed soul crooner Michael McDonald gave his career a much-needed shot in the arm with 2003's Motown, a commercially well-received collection that matched the one-time Doobie Brother and '80s solo star's rich vocals with songs from Hitsville's peak. Fans of Motown, The Doobie Brothers, and of course, Michael McDonald will love, "Motown".

Out There is Eleanor McEvoy's sixth studio album. McEvoy, a multi-instrumentalist, produced and arranged Out There, and played all instruments on the album and supplied all vocals. The album includes ten new compositions by McEvoy plus two co-writes with the Beautiful South's Dave Rotheray. On track 5, "Vigeland's Dream", McEvoy eloquently describes a walk she once took in Vigeland Sculpture Park which is a part of Frogner Park (Frognerparken), a public park located in the borough of Frogner, in Oslo, Norway. The album also includes an updated version of Marvin Gaye's classic "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" as well as a new version of Lowell George's "Roll Um Easy".