XXXVI - Now (2014)

"Forty-five years into the band's career, the seemingly straightforward numerical system Chicago follow to title their albums has gotten confusing. This is clearly their 36th record but it is only their 23rd studio album and their first collection of brand-new original material since "XXX" in 2006. Hence, the decision to put "Now" in front of Chicago XXXVI instead of behind: it emphasizes that this record showcases the band in the present. That "Now" sounds tethered to the Chicago of the early '80s is neither here nor there. At this point, Chicago exist within their own universe, something made plain by the construction of "Now", where each songwriter within Chicago acted as producer on his own tracks. Far from sounding disparate, "Now" is united in sound and sensibility, anchored upon the splashy horn-fueled jazz-pop they pioneered in the '70s but usually returning to the slick professional adult contemporary of the '80s, the music they made just before and after Peter Cetera left." (S.T. Erlewine, Allmusic)

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