This week we have a double-shot from fantastic writer, singer, keyboardist Michael McDonald. Two timeless pieces of music created by some great collaborative efforts with Kenny Loggins and Carly Simon respectively. Plain and simple this is what great songwriting is all about and when a song is great, artists love to sing them.
I remember when I was a kid listening to Michael McDonald talk about the process of recording “What A Fool Believes” (this was before the days of MIDI sequencing) there are 20 keyboard tracks in the final production of the song. There are various reasons for that number (monophonic synths etc.) but that’s some serious arranging and orchestration and that’s why he’s Michael McDonald and others aren’t. Enjoy!
Aretha’s take…
Kenny Loggins the co-writer…
Carly Simon the co-writer and probably the artist the song is most identified with…
Chaka and Michael McDonald
Unless my old eyes are deceiving Anita Baker’s cover is currently nowhere to be found on You Tube. But if it is give us a shout so we can include her.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
