There’s something about The Doobie Brothers’ tunes that just makes you feel good inside. That must be why Josh Turner and Reina del Cid’s take on the band’s classic “Black Water” is such a feelgood listen. Turner opened the song on acoustic guitar and delivered a soulful vocal, which the band’s three backing vocalists perfectly responded to. All four have fantastic voices, and del Cid then took it to the next level by performing a heartfelt lead vocal in the next verse.
The band were clearly vibing on the cover big time, and bassist Andrew Foreman really stood out to fans not only for his playing, but also for his big cheesy grin while holding down the groove. The Music Man listeners will definitely want to tune into the a cappella group vocal just after the three-minute mark, which was just dripping with soul power. Fans couldn’t get enough of the vibes, as they tuned in more than two million times to the cover.
Turner uploaded the band’s take on “Black Water” on November 4, 2022, and it has since become one of his most popular videos. Fans gave plenty of praise for the cover and added comments such as “The Doobie Brothers would be blown away by this – I hope they have seen it” and “I have watched this many times and I think my favorite part is the absolute grin on the face of the bass player whenever the camera pans across him. They are definitely having fun.”
It seems the band has a special kind of chemistry, as they also produced an 8.5 million view cover of “Stuck in the Middle With You.” In this performance, del Cid really got to shine while taking the opening lead vocal, while Turner seamlessly matched her energy by dropping a soulful second verse.
The Doobie Brothers released “Black Water” on November 15, 1974. The song was written by the band’s singer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Simmons, who also performed lead vocals on the recording. The chilled country rock of “Black Water” hit a chord with fans, and the song became one of the band’s two Billboard Hot 100 number one singles. Despite this success, “Black Water” producer Ted Templeton said “we never thought [of] it as a [potential hit] single.” The Doobie Brothers initially issued the song as a B-side to “Another Park,” but after “Black Water” became a radio hit, the band released it as the A-side, and the rest is history.