Chicago XXX Atlanta GA

It was in 8th grade that I started to appreciate andlisten to rock. The band that brought that out of me was Chicago,not coincidentally one of my dad's favorite bands. I rememberjoining Chicago message boards and reading that a completely newalbum was coming out. That was six years ago.

Since then, I've moved onto other bands, othersingers. I've grown to love music more than I ever would haveexpected. Yet through it all, I still wanted to get the chance toexperience a new Chicago album. To be honest, I did not expect theopportunity to arise, but suddenly today I was rewarded withChicago's 30th album.

Chicago fans be warned; this is not the second comingof CTA. In fact, XXX doesn't come close to the best albumsof the band. The record also is not a return to form of the early70s sound. What it is instead is the best possible record Chicagocould have recorded in 2006. There are hints of the 70s and 80s eraof the band that are molded into a modern sound.

The best such example of this variety is evidentafter one listen through the album. Essentially, the first sixtracks are power ballads in the vein of what one would have heardon 17. The second half of the album reverses coursecompletely, resembling the pop of XI or X. Because ofthis half and half phenomenon, problems do arise in the overallmomentum of XXX. In fact, my biggest complaint was that therunning order should have been altered, with a better mix betweenthe up-tempo tracks and the ballads.