Chicago - CHICAGO XXV (25) - THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM

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Music reviews of CHICAGO XXV (25) - THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM

Music Review: It's Appropriate
Rating: 3 Stars

The nineties witnessed the band's quick fall from popularity after the magnificent Chicago 19. Chicago 20 was a quickie greatest hits album and 21 was an unpromoted flop. The band tried to get back to it's roots with the SOS effort. Unfortunately the record executives decided not to release it, despite the band's best efforts. Then the Night and Day remakes of classic Big Band music before two safe redressed (Heart of Chicago) efforts containing a safe number of add-in tunes.

The compositions of Pankow (perenially the best composer of the group), Loughnane, Champlin and Scheff save the CD. Demonstrating more then a spark of the old Chicago flare, these men make most of the compositions worth purchasing. The uptempo "Little Drummer Boy", provides harmonies on the third verse which evoke memories of the Cetera/Lamm/Kath era. Champlin's vocals on "Santa Claus is Coming" are immaculate, and Loughnane's vocals on Let it Snow are remeniscent of his vocal efforts CandyBar and Map albums and also his great "Window Dreamin" composition on 13.

The really dismal pieces are Lamm's arrangements of (in order on the CD) "The Christmas Song", "Feliz Navidad", "Christmas Time is Here", and "White Christmas". His effort to take the uptempo version of Feliz Navidad, originally done by Jose Feliciano, and make it into an accordionized sleepy lounge song falls far short of his abilities. The other three pieces are predictable with an element of uptempo to save them. While Lamm may be giving the band direction, his compositions are getting the band nowhere.

The Christmas album is appropriate because it conjures visions of the band's glory days with familiar voices and brass arrangements while maintaining the Christmas image of mostly familiar Christmas tunes. Unfortunately there appear to be few memories to be made by the band which appears content to be resting on existing laurels.

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