Contrary to what kids today might think, Chicago’s new CD XXX has nothing to do with any Vin Diesel movie nor is it a volume of porno music or full of hard-core, uncensored lyrics. No, the title XXX is merely referencing the fact that this is the band’s 30th album. Chicago has always numbered their albums instead of giving them more descriptive or illuminating titles, and the fact that this album is number 30 can’t help but emphasize the band’s long history. Perhaps it is because the band’s last release was their extraordinary The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning, XXX comes across as rather uneven, as if the band is trying to reinvent itself while still holding on to its past. What results are some really good songs, but also a few “what the heck?” ones as well.
The way in which the CD starts off is rather jarring. I was expecting something a little more traditional, but instead we get “Feel (Hot Single Mix),” a song that sounds as though it could have spewed from any modern pop group or — shudder — boy band. To throw in a gratuitous theme park reference (which loyal readers will know I’m apt to do), it’s as though you hopped on the train at Disneyland bound for a nostalgic trip to Fantasyland and found yourself arriving in Videopolis instead. “Feel (Hot Single Mix)” isn’t a bad song, it’s just not what I’d expect from Chicago and I think that’s what gets this album off to a faulty start. Beginning an album with a “Mix” of a song found elsewhere on the album? It’s an odd choice and seems to scream of desperation in trying to strike a chord with a younger audience.
Compare the “Hot Single Mix” with the “w/Horns” version of “Feel” that closes the album and — wow — what a difference those horns make. Finally, THIS sounds like Chicago! Those trademark Chicago horns take the otherwise unremarkable “Feel” and ground the sound in an endearing realm that fans of Chicago have come to know and expect from the band. Why not put the “w/Horns” version first on the album and leave the “Hot Single Mix” last as a kind novelty track?
Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
This article has been placed at the Advance.net Web sites, a site affiliated with about 12 newspapers.
One such site is here.