Michael McDonald needed a boost to his solo career. In 1986, ace songwriter Rod Temperton provided it with "Sweet Freedom".

Smooth grooves. Shimmering production. Sun-drenched sophistication. Yacht rock is having a moment again, and one new ranking just handed the genre a fresh crown. In a new feature titled "Yacht Rock: ...

“In a way, that’s the song that almost wasn’t,” McDonald said, explaining that he’d started writing the tune long before Loggins helped complete it. “This is not a great habit of mine, but I’ll start ...