CHICAGO XXV (25) - THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM
Uh, shouldn't that beChicago XXV? Well, of course25refers not to where this title falls in the stalwart brass-pop band's ongoing oeuvre (besides, they dropped the Roman numerals they long favored way back around 1980'sXIV) but to December 25, Christmas Day. While these Chi-town swingers have been putting out airy albums since 1969, this is their first holiday spree, and it's pretty much what one might expect. You get your Yule standards ("Little Drummer Boy," "Let It Snow," "Silent Night"). You get your collection of vocalists sharing the chores (Bill Champlin, Jason Sheff, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughname). You get your temperate jazz-rock arrangements (Chicago's brass section doesn't blow so much as puff). Doubters will find it frightful; for longtime devotees, it is delightful.--Steven Stolder