Chicago XIV

Album Review

This 2003 CD reissue of Chicago XIV includes three bonus selections — the funky "Live It Up" from James Pankow (trombone) as well as a pair of Robert Lamm rockers, "Soldier of Fortune" and "Doin' Business" — the latter of which was previously only available as a bonus track on the Group Portrait (1991) box set. Chicago's 14th long-player went primarily unnoticed when first released in the summer of 1980. After replacing the late Terry Kath (guitar) with former Stephen Stills sideman Donnie Dacus (guitar), the band attempted to update and stabilize its sound. His contributions were short-lived, however, and prior to working on Chicago XIV, Chris Pinnick was hired and soon became the combo's third lead guitarist in as many years. In fact, it seems as if they had yet to completely recover from the loss of Kath. When coupled with the poor sales of Chicago's previous albums as well as the group's complete de-prioritization from its record label, the significant lack of focus resulted in a disjointed effort. Tellingly, the vast majority of material came from either the Peter Cetera (bass/vocals) or Lamm (keyboards/vocals) camps. While the pair had long been considered Chicago's strongest respective songwriters, Cetera in particular was emerging with a definitive and soulful delivery, especially notable on "Song for You" and "Overnight Café." However, he bails on the half-baked "Hold On." Conversely, Lamm's "Manipulation" is a strong and aggressive opener, yet any initial momentum quickly dissipates with lesser sides such as "Upon Arrival" or the tongue-in-cheek "I'd Rather Be Rich." A decidedly more successful outing from Cetera, Lamm, and Danny Seraphine (drums) is "Thunder and Lightning" — highlighted by some jazzy chord changes. After the group's dismissal from Columbia Records — with whom it had been associated for over a decade — Chicago took a two-year hiatus. They reemerged with Chicago 16 (1982), ultimately garnering several chart-topping singles as well as their first Top Ten album in nearly six years.