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2021 is shaping up to be the year of the Doobie Brothers, with the band announcing their first new album in seven years, titled, Liberté, set for October 1st, As a teaser for the set, the band, featuring Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston, and John McFee, have dropped a self-titled four-track EP. Once again, the new album features production work by John Shanks, best known for his work with Bon Jovi and Sheryl Crow.

Liberté marks the Doobie’s followup to 2014’s Southbound, which featured the band revamping older material with such country-based artists as Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Zac Brown Band, and Blake Shelton, among others. Southbound peaked at Number 16 on the Billboard 200, and went on to hit Number Four on the magazine’s Top Country Albums list.

The tracklisting to The Doobie Brothers, Liberté is: “Oh Mexico,” “Better Days,” “Don’t Ya Mess With Me,” “Cannonball,” “Wherever We Go,” “The American Dream,” “Shine,” “We Are More Than Love,” “Easy,” “Just Can’t Do This Alone,” “Good Thang,” and “Amen Old Friend.”

Patrick Simmons told us that unfortunately for fans, Doobies business has frequently got in the way of laying down new studio tracks: “We have recorded so many albums through the years, y’know, you always figure you’re gonna do another one. Y’know, we always had it in the back of our minds we were gonna put out another record and this or that would get in the way — or we’d have a tour booked. The fact that we’re workin’ all the time anyway, it’s sort of, it’s like, well, so we have to go in and do this, is it necessary? And it is.”