Chicago XXX
| Chicago XXX | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Chicago | ||||
| Released | March 21, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 2005 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 52:57 | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Producer | Jay DeMarcus | |||
| Chicago chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Chicago XXX is the twentieth studio album, and thirtieth album overall, by the American band Chicago, released on March 21, 2006. It was Chicago's first album of entirely new material since 1991's Twenty 1.
Background
The album was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with horn sessions in Los Angeles, California over the summer of 2005. Production duties were handled by Jay DeMarcus of the country group Rascal Flatts, who came to the project through a friendship with Chicago's bassist-singer Jason Scheff. DeMarcus used several session players for the album.
Chicago XXX peaked at number 41 in the US during a brief chart stay, spawning minor hits "Feel" and "Love Will Come Back." This would be the last studio recording with long-time vocalist/keyboardist Bill Champlin, who had originally been brought in to replace the missing baritone of the band's original guitarist, Terry Kath.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feel" (Hot single mix) | Blair Daly, Danny Orton | Robert Lamm | 4:01 |
| 2. | "King of Might Have Been" | Greg Barnhill, Dennis Matkosky, Jason Scheff | Jason Scheff | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Caroline" | Chas Sandford, Scheff | Champlin/Scheff | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Why Can't We" | Bill Champlin, Jay DeMarcus, Sandford, Scheff | Champlin/Shelly Fairchild | 4:07 |
| 5. | "Love Will Come Back" | DeMarcus, Sandford, Scheff | Scheff/Rascal Flatts | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Long Lost Friend" | DeMarcus, Brett James, Scheff | Scheff | 4:33 |
| 7. | "90 Degrees and Freezing" | DeMarcus, James, Lamm, Scheff | Lamm/Scheff | 3:52 |
| 8. | "Where Were You" | Champlin, DeMarcus, Scheff | Scheff/Champlin | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Already Gone" | Champlin, George Hawkins Jr. | Champlin/Scheff | 6:51 |
| 10. | "Come to Me, Do" | Lamm | Lamm | 4:36 |
| 11. | "Lovin' Chains" | DeMarcus, Marcus Hummon | Champlin/Scheff | 3:56 |
| 12. | "Better" | Champlin, Sandford | Champlin | 4:41 |
| 13. | "Feel" (Horn section mix) | Daly, Orton | Lamm | 4:30 |
Personnel
- Robert Lamm: acoustic piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, vocals, horn arrangement on "Come to Me, Do"
- Lee Loughnane: trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet
- James Pankow: trombone, horn arrangements
- Walt Parazaider: saxophones, flutes
- Bill Champlin: Hammond B3 organ, acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, vocals, vocal arrangements
- Jason Scheff: bass guitar, vocals, vocal arrangements
- Tris Imboden: drums
- Keith Howland: guitars
Additional musicians:
- Steve Brewster: drums on "Caroline", "Why Can't We"
- John Brockman: drums on "King of Might Have Been", "Long Lost Friend"
- Tom Bukovac: acoustic & electric guitars
- Dean DeLeo: guitar on "Better"
- Jay DeMarcus: keyboards, guitars, loops, programming, acoustic piano on "King of Might Have Been", arrangements
- Shelly Fairchild: vocal on "Why Can't We"
- Dann Huff: guitar on "Caroline", "Why Can't We", "Love Will Come Back", "90 Degrees and Freezing", "Already Gone", "Lovin' Chains"
- Bobby Kimball: additional background vocals on "Caroline"
- Jack Kincaid: guitar on "Long Lost Friend"
- James Matchack: keyboards, loops, sequencing, arrangements
- Yankton Mingua: guitar on "Long Lost Friend"
- Rascal Flatts (Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus & Joe Don Rooney): vocals on "Love Will Come Back"
- Lee Thornburg: trumpet
- Joseph Williams: additional background vocals on "King of Might Have Been"
Production
- Produced by Jay DeMarcus
- Production Coordinator: Mike "Frog Griffith
- Recorded by Jeff Balding, Ben Fowler, James Matchack, Sean Neff & Chas Sanford
- Assistant Engineers: David Frick Jay Goin, Jedd Hackett, Jody Sappington, Aaron Walk & Tony Zeller
- Tracks #1,2,7-13 mixed by Jeff Balding, assisted by Jedd Hackett
- Tracks #3-6 mixed by James Matchack
- Digital Editing: Jedd Hackett & Sean Neff
- Mastered by Bob Ludwig
- Photography by Jimmy Katz & Hugh Brown, assisted by Andy Strauss
- Design by Hugh Brown, assisted by Andy Strauss
Chart positions
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Billboard 200 | 41 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Feel" | Adult Contemporary | 19 |
| 2006 | "Love Will Come Back" | Adult Contemporary | 21 |