The Doobie Brothers have released a fifth advance track from their forthcoming studio album, Walk This Road, which is due out on June 6. The song, titled “Angels & Mercy,” is a hard-driving country-influenced rock tune sung by founding singer/guitarist Patrick Simmons.
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Simmons co-wrote the track with Walk This Road producer John Shanks. Doobies singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald and bassist John Cowan also lent their vocal talents to the song.
“Angels & Mercy” is available now as a digital download and via streaming services. In addition, a companion lyric video has debuted at The Doobie Brothers’ official YouTube channel.
“It’s fast and loud, maybe the most rocking thing on the album,” Simmons said of “Angels & Mercy” in a statement. “It’s an intense song that was a lot of fun to record as well as just coming up with the parts. It’s something that we can play live and have fun with it.”
In a video posted on The Doobie Brothers’ social media pages, Pat discussed the meaning behind the tune.
“It’s a song about a desperate man at the end of his rope,” he said in the clip. “He’s been running for a long time from one thing or another, and [he’s] looking for redemption. As the song builds, I want the listener to feel the struggle and the desperation of this guy and to understand that there’s deliverance waiting right there, right in front of him. … All he has to do is reach out and grab it.”
More About the Walk This Road Album
As previously reported, Walk This Road is the first collection of new Doobie Brothers songs to feature McDonald since the One Step Closer album in 1980. McDonald rejoined The Doobie Brothers in 2021, when the band launched its 50th anniversary tour.
Walk This Road features 10 songs. McDonald, Simmons, and co-founding Doobies singer/guitarist Tom Johnston all lent their songwriting talents to various tunes, with each co-writing material with Shanks.
The album includes the song “Lahaina,” which The Doobie Brothers first released in November 2023. Some proceeds from that track are being donated help those affected by the devastating fires that struck the Hawaiian island of Maui in August 2023.
Three other songs have since been released as advance tracks from Walk This Road—the title track, “Call Me,” and “Learn to Let Go.”
“Walk This Road” is a gospel- and soul-influenced tune that features guest vocals by Mavis Staples. McDonald, Simmons, Johnston, and McFee also sang on the track. “Call Me,” meanwhile, is a melodic roots-rock tune sung by Johnston. “Learn to Let Go” is a smooth, soulful song sung and co-written by McDonald.
Walk This Road can be pre-ordered now. The album is available on CD, as a vinyl LP, and via digital formats. The Doobie Brothers’ online store is offering an exclusive version of the LP pressed on tiger’s-eye vinyl.
The Doobie Brothers’ 2025 Tour Plans
The Doobie Brothers celebrate the release of Walk This Road on June 6 with a special New York City club show at Irving Plaza.
The band also will support the album with a 2025 summer tour, beginning with six shows in the U.K. and Ireland in July.
The Doobies then will launch a North American leg that currently features 20 confirmed concerts. The trek kicks off August 4 in Clarkston, Michigan, and runs through a September 18 performance in Toronto.
The late Jimmy Buffett’s longtime backing group, The Coral Reefer Band, will open for The Doobies’ at all the North American gigs.
Doobie Brothers Members’ Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction
Shortly after Walk This Road’s release, McDonald, Johnston, and Simmons will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The 2025 induction ceremony will take place on June 12 at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York City.
The Doobie Brothers previously were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
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