Customer Reviews

Blink of an Eye

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It has been 10 years since I first heard BLINK and until recently I did not appreciate the greatness of this R & B,blues,soul classic. HEY GIRL is an all time heart breaker,Mr. McDonald always stops the show at his concerts when he sings this timeless King/Goffin piece. I never understood why this didnt get the play it deserved..Mr. McDonald has a voice fromthe angels and will always be up there with Jackie Wilson, Luther Vandross, SamCooke, Jeffrey Osborne and Otis Redding with his fantastic arrangements of love songs.....the man cando no wrong musicially. If you do not have this one...run to a music store or get on line and buy it and listen with your heart, your soul and you spirit over and over...you will fall in love. Peg in SD

As a collector of great R&B,Brown,Green,or Blue-Eyed Soul this McDonald c.d. was just what I needed to add. I actually purchased this c.d. title on a gut instinct without ever hearing any of the songs before;It was defintiely worth every dime ! McDonald (as a solo artist) has never succumbed to the pressures of commercialism or competition of the more "hip" Top 40 nature. He does not compromise his true vocal talent and writing skills just to sell filler garbage; He remains true to his craft.

The vocals are rich and deep. The instrumentation is polished,yet, not contrived or over-the-top.It's a seamless blend of smooth soul, creative balladry and intelligent "adult" pop.It's all about LIFE !

When it comes to mastery of the "blue-eyed soul," few artists have been as successful as Michael McDonald. From his days with the Doobie Brothers to his under-rated solo career, McDonald's voice has been one of the smoothest and smokiest of our time. This CD, released in 1993, is one of his best solo efforts, and far surpasses his most recent disappointment, "Blue Obsession." His cover of "Hey Girl" is beautiful and emotional; "Matters of the Heart" is another winner, a song that even Bonnie Raitt couldn't surpass Mike on; "I Stand for You" and "Blink of an Eye" are also well sung and produced. This isn't as good as his "If That's What it Takes" or "Take This Heart", but it is vintage McDonald and worthy addition to anyone's CD library.

I bought this CD based on what customers said about it and because it contains one of the prettiest, heartfelt covers of a song I've ever heard: "Hey Girl." I can listen to this song over and over and still not get tired of it! Also like "I Stand for You," "I want you" and "Matters of the Heart." The rest is just okay. A bit too...I don't know. I wanted more soulful, slow renditions. Maybe I'll try another CD.

For me, a Michael McDonald project is all about the singing, and from tune to tune , "Blink of an Eye" clearly shows that Mr. McDonald has kept his vocal chops at a very high level. The songs he has written or co-written for this project are at least servicable as showcases for the performances; while "Matters of the Heart", "Blink of an Eye", and "Everlasting" rank with McDonald's best work. Also included here are two covers: The Goffin/King classic "Hey Girl" and Paul Buchanan's (of the Blue Nile) "I Want You". For this listener, "Blink of an Eye" holds the most pleasure - starting with a second-line style drum fill, and featuring a blistering lead vocal and a fine slide guitar break courtesy of Warren Haynes (late of the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule) - this song cooks. Do yourself a favor and give this CD a listen.

To this day, I still cannot understand why Michael McDonald is so underrated, and this CD is proof of that. The slow tunes, I will admit, leave a little to be desired; too sleep-inducing. But the one exception is "Hey Girl", one beautiful song that doesn't give Michael the credit he deserves. I've heard this remake by several other artists and not even Billy Joel can match up to him and his outstanding voice. Other powerful songs are the title track, "Blink of An Eye" with great guitar and "Everlasting" with an awesome gospel sound. Again, why this album has been ignored by the public is beyond me...I can only attribute it to the "dumbening up" of America whereby everyone just seems to be attracted by looks and fashion, not talent. But I give "Blink of An Eye" almost my fullest recommendation (I say `almost' because I would skip over the slow tracks) to true McDonald fans who will realize immediately it is a positive step up from his last 2 CDs.

Love the ballads & R&B spiritual tunes: East of Eden, No More Prayin' & For a Child (has Chris Botti/Mark Isham feel) Even my kids love "Everlasting". Fav tunes: "Blink of an Eye", & "More to us Than That" simply burn. Lyrics merge spiritual questions, with a groove; good example of Russ Titleman (producer) sound. After being a fan for 20+ yrs, this cd completely altered my MMcD perspective. This is a personal top 10 all time fav cd.

Who'd thought this would be a Michael McDonald album with two African American kids on the cover. He does speak against his children and family in general in many of the songs ("I Stand For You", "Blink of an
Eye", "Matters of the Heart",etc.) Sadly this album missed out on the charts. There were two singles released "Matters of the Heart" with Vince Gill (as a duet, here he sings backing vocals with Alison Krauss)
and a cover of Freddie Scott's "Hey Girl" featuring the ever popular Kirk Whalum on sax. There is also the brilliant title song featuring Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers on guitar and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers among others.
I do agree with All Music Guide's review that he is the "Godfather of Blue Eyed Soul"

The tracks are of the well-known musical and technical quality that the ex-doobie brother adds to his productions. There is no totally new Michael McDonald on this release, but after all: That is exactly what we fans love about him, ey? His unique gospely voice and his song arranagements will accompany you in your home, in your car, at a party. A solid Michael McDonald

I found this CD to be all that I expected. As usual, I received prompt service from Amazon. I am enjoying it immensely.