Working with producer
Tommy Sims -- the man who produced
Eric Clapton's hit "Change the World" -- evidently inspired
Michael McDonald, since
Blue Obsession is his best record in nearly ten years. Stylistically, it's similar to every record he's made since going solo in the early '80s -- namely, it's a combination of adult contemporary ballads and lightly grooving, adult contemporary pop-soul -- but the difference is that the quality of the material is uniformly strong. In addition to two covers ("Ain't That Peculiar," "Down By the River"), there's a selection of new songs largely co-written by
McDonald and
Sims. While there are no crossover pop hits on the level of "I Keep Forgettin'" or "Sweet Freedom," it's a strong collection of songs with only a few slow moments. It's a record that shows
McDonald maturing quite gracefully. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine