The Doobie Brothers - Little Darling

3rd track from “Livin’ On The Fault Line“ (1977). This is the McDoobie remake of Marvin Gaye’s 1966 hit. “Livin’ on the Fault Line contains some of the most challenging and well-developed music of the band’s career, with Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald really stepping to the fore. There’s a vague mood of melancholia running through the songs, as well as a definite jazz influence. This is most obvious on the title track, which has several instrumental passages that showcase the guitar abilities of Simmons and Jeff Baxter. Similarly, ’Chinatown’ is a spooky mood piece not unlike the smooth fusion of late-period Steely Dan or Little Feat. But ’Echoes of Love’ and ’Nothin’ But a Heartache’ are both intelligent, glistening pop songs that confirm Simmons and McDonald as first-rate tunesmiths.“ ~excerpt from Review by Peter Kurtz