I know this is a political blog.
I know this is a conservative political blog.
Hell, I write the thing, so I'm going to take some editorial privilege and talk about the CD I've been listening to.
About a month and a half ago, I discovered that Chicago XXX (that's 30, by the way) was coming out. Well, it arrived in stores March 21 and I've been listening to it for about eight straight days now. A fellow fan asked me if I'd been planning on writing a review of the album. I had, I just hadn't really had the time.
After my first few times listening to the album, I wrote a review on Amazon.com where gave the album three stars, but said I wished I could have given it two and a half. If the tracks were in a different order, the album would have a different feel to it, and it would be a three star effort. That's it.
This takes us to my first problem with the album: all the ballads are stacked at the very front. By the time you get into the heart of the album, you're ready for a nap. Some of the ballads are good, and some are just very underwhelming.
Second, I think Jay DeMarcus missed the whole point of Chicago. I know he's a fan, but...well...he concentrated far more on the vocal arrangement than the the role of the horns in a typical Chicago track. The horns were meant to be a sort of "fourth vocalist" and on Demarcus' effort they're not prominent on a lot of tracks. The production values are great---the album sounds very clean and the quality is amazing. The mix is just totally wrong on several songs and DeMarcus missed the boat.
My last significant problem with the album is that there are no Jimmy Pankow songs on the disc. Pankow, one of the founding members and the group's trombone player, has been one of the band's most prolific writers and has penned many of their classic hits. This disc has zero Pankow compositions and I think it suffers as a result.
OK...on to the songs... I review them here in their published track order:
1. Feel (Hot Single Mix): A Chicago single without horns. Dreadful. What's the point? They also cut the good backing vocals. The version that should have been released is the last track---Feel (w/Horns). 2/10
2. King Of Might Have Been: This is probably the most marketable ballad on the album. It's got some over-produced vocals by Jason Scheff and the strings are a nice touch. While it seems a bit schlocky, overall it's a very catchy song. Chicago--the band who never wanted to be "the ballad band"--has a hit with this if they decide to release it. 6/10
3. Caroline: I really like this song, but it should have been the lead track on the album. It's catchy. It's got great vocals. It's another marketable song and it should do very well with radio play, I think. I personally wish it were longer. 8/10
4. Why Can't We: (Yep, another ballad.) I kind of like this song, even though I know a lot of Chicago fans don't. It kind of reminds me of Bill Champlin's duet with Patti LaBelle in the 80's, "The Last Unbroken Heart." Shelly Fairchild, whom I've never heard of before, does a decent job singing opposite Bill Champlin. The only thing I think is out of place in the song is the "synth" orchestra bit. The song would have served better with a Keith Howland guitar solo than anything else. I think the song sounds like it belongs over the end credits of a movie. Decent effort. 6/10
5. Love Will Come Back: (Hey, look...it's another ballad.) This is the requisite duet with Rascal Flatts and it's forgettable. It sounds a bit contrived and cliched. 4/10
6. Long Lost Friend: (Yep...you guessed it...ballad. Go figure.) I'd like to use the same contrived and cliched comment for this song and just change the rating. 3/10
7. 90 Degrees And Freezing: Finally! Something that sounds like a Chicago song! I was kind of cool on this song at first, but it's really grown on me. It's the kind of song I expect to hear on a Chicago album. 7/10
8. Where Were You: More over-produced Jason Scheff vocals in chorus, but a decent main vocal by Bill Champlin. I skip this song sometimes, and not others. 6/10
9. Already Gone: I love Bill Champlin songs. I really do. The first time I heard the intro to this song I knew it was a Champlin composition without even looking. This is one of my favorite songs on the disc. The song has a little attitude and I like it a lot. 9/10.
10. Come To Me, Do: This one's a Robert Lamm composition and I'm still really not that hip to it. The song itself I could take or leave, but I think the horn and backing vocal arrangements are what keeps me from totally skipping over it. I think the lyrics are odd, honestly. Not Robert's best. 6/10
11. Lovin' Chains: This isn't a bad song, I guess. This is one of those one's that's just kind of there for me. The Champlin vocal saves an otherwise unimpressive Jay DeMarcus composition. 6/10
12. Better: I totally dig this song. My only note on it is that the horn arrangement sounds as though it was lifted directly from Chicago's big band album, "Night and Day." 9/10
13. Feel (w/Horns): This is the only version of the song that should exist, honestly. It's got a very un-Chicago-like sound and it's quite refreshing---I just wish the band had taken more directions like this one on the album. 8/10
Overall, it's not the Chicago album I wanted it to be. I was hoping for something like 1993's unreleased "Stone of Sisyphus" album, but I understand that the stated goal of radio airplay and can't fault the band for wanting commercial success. After all, music is a business and it's hard to make money when your music isn't getting any airplay. This is Chicago's first album of all fresh material since 1991, and 15 years is a long time with no new songs on the radio.
If you're someone who likes their other songs, you probably won't be disappointed. If you're a long-time, die-hard fan, you'll find yourself wanting something more.
This is the track order I've been using to listen to the album and I think it plays much better this way:
3. Caroline
11. Lovin' Chains
2. King of Might Have Been
13. Feel (w/Horns)
8. Where Were You?
6. Long Lost Friend
7. 90 Degrees And Freezing
4. Why Can't We? (with Shelly Fairchild)
9. Already Gone
10. Come To Me, Do
5. Love Will Come Back (with Rascal Flatts)
12. Better
1. Feel (Hot Single Mix)
Not their best album ever, but certainly not their worst. It will likely see some commercial success, but I don't see it going multi-platinum. Here's hoping Chicago 31 isn't far away.
William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com
