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Which Doobie Brothers do you like? The mainstream country-boogie Doobie Brothers or the blue-eyed funkier Michael McDonald era Doobie Brothers?

They seem mutually exclusive. Reformed in the 90s, they’ve recorded two albums before this centred around original members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, though Michael McDonald makes a guest appearance on Don’t Say Goodbye, a pleasing Steely Danesque ballad that sits slightly ill with the rest of the record.

They’ve reworked Nobody, the first track from their 1971 debut album, and Ted Templeman, who produced a lot of their early work, reignites some of that 70s west coast chemistry. You get the tight harmonies, the languid Little Feat boogie and smart lyrics and one outstanding song in Chateau.

It ain’t The Captain And Me, but it’s certainly a decent enough album that proves that they aren’t a band who are past their sell-by date.

Allan McLachlan spent the late 70s studying politics at Strathclyde University and cut his teeth as a journalist in the west of Scotland on arts and culture magazines. He moved to London in the late 80s and started his life-long love affair with the metropolitan district as Music Editor on City Limits magazine. Following a brief period as News Editor on Sounds, he went freelance and then scored the high-profile gig of News Editor at NME. Quickly making his mark, he adopted the nom de plume Tommy Udo. He moved onto the NME's website, then Xfm online before his eventual longer-term tenure on Metal Hammer and associated magazines. He wrote biographies of Nine Inch Nails and Charles Manson. A devotee of Asian cinema, Tommy was an expert on 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano and co-wrote an English language biography on the Japanese actor and director. He died in 2019.