Chicago
Night & Day (Giant) (star) (star) (star)
Brian Setzer and Colin James came out with big band albums last year, but neither came to the project with the kind of history–and horn section–that Chicago has. And while our hometown heroes have never quite recovered from the death of guitarist Terry Kath in 1978, at least their big-band foray shows them getting away from the sappy, syrupy keyboard ballads that made up most of their hits over the last 15 years. Jimmy Pankow, Walt Parazaider and Lee Loughnane have sanded the rust from their horns in fine fashion after being relegated to the sidelines for too many years, and their vintage Chicago sound is especially bright on “Moonlight Serenade” and “Sophisticated Lady.” Yet Chicago does these big-band numbers proud by eschewing reverent renditions and putting some contemporary grit in the arrangements. “Goody Goody,” the title track and “Sing Sing Sing” shine in this vein and Robert Lamm’s vocals sound free at last, especially on “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” What “Night & Day” means to Chicago’s career is open to question, but the chaotic, rocky dissonance that closes “A Train” could portend something promising for the future.
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Ratings: Excellent (Star) (Star) (Star) (Star) Good (Star) (Star) (Star) Fair (Star) (Star) Poor (Star)