Chicago XXX
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.
| Chicago XXX | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 21, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 2005 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 52:57 | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Producer | Jay DeMarcus | |||
| Chicago chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
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 as he departed Chicago in August 2009 as keyboardist/vocalist Lou Pardini taking his place after his departure from the band, 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
Chicago
- Robert Lamm – acoustic piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond B3 organ, vocals, horn arrangements (10)
- Lee Loughnane – trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet
- James Pankow – trombone, horn arrangements (2-9, 11, 12, 13)
- Walt Parazaider – saxophones, flutes
- Bill Champlin – Hammond B3 organ, acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, vocals, BGV arrangements
- Jason Scheff – bass guitar, vocals, BGV arrangements
- Tris Imboden – drums (1, 5, 7-13)
- Keith Howland – guitars
Additional musicians
- Jay DeMarcus – keyboards, guitars, loops, programming, acoustic piano (2), arrangements
- James Matchack – keyboards, loops, sequencing, arrangements
- Tom Bukovac – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Dann Huff – guitar (3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11)
- Jack Kincaid – guitar (6)
- Yankton Mingua – guitar (6)
- Dean DeLeo – guitar (12)
- John Brockman – drums (2, 6)
- Steve Brewster – drums (3, 4)
- Lee Thornburg – trumpet
- Joseph Williams – additional backing vocals (2)
- Bobby Kimball – additional backing vocals (3)
- Shelly Fairchild – lead vocal (4)
- Rascal Flatts (Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney) – lead and backing vocals (5)
Production
- Produced by Jay DeMarcus
- Production Coordinator – Mike "Frog" Griffith
- Recorded by Jeff Balding, Ben Fowler, James Matchack, Sean Neff and Chas Sanford.
- Assistant Engineers – David Frick Jay Goin, Jedd Hackett, Jody Sappington, Aaron Walk and Tony Zeller.
- Tracks #1, 2 & 7-13 mixed by Jeff Balding, assisted by Jed Hackett.
- Tracks #3-6 mixed by James Matchack
- Digital Editing – Jed Hackett and Sean Neff
- Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering (Portland, ME).
- Photography by Jimmy Katz and Hugh Brown, assisted by Andy Strauss.
- Design by Hugh Brown, assisted by Andy Strauss.
Charts
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 |