In 1985, Jason Scheff took Peter Cetera’s place when the legendary singer/songwriter/bassist left Chicago for a solo career. Scheff became the supergroup’s new tenor lead singer and bass player. Scheff held that position until 2017 when he left the group.

Just recently, Scheff made a comeback with a second solo cd titled Here I Am. Co-produced by Jay De Marcus of Rascal Flatts’ fame, Here I Am presents a mix of original pop songs co-written by various Nashville songwriters as well as a handful of remakes of classic Chicago hits. Here, Scheff reinterprets “Will You Still Love Me,” his first big hit with Chicago that was superbly crafted by David Foster for Chicago 18. Two other smart choices were “What Kind Of Man Would I Be,” a Top 5 hit that Jason co-wrote with Bobby Caldwell and Dennis Matkosky in 1988 for Chicago 19 and “Look Away,” a giant hit originally from Chicago 19 revisited here as a duet with former bandmate Bill Champlin. The lead vocal was handled by Champlin on the original version. “Feeling Stronger Every Day” and “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” round out the Chicago covers on Here I Am.  As great as those two classics were, they are so strongly associated with Cetera’s voice that they sound a tad out of place compared to the other remakes, The arrangement of “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” really pales by comparison to the 1982 Chicago 16 hit version. Maybe two other new songs would have been a better fit for the cd. Among the new songs, the breezy mid-tempo, “Wonderful Day” stands out as a truly fantastic piece of music with a terrific melody and memorable hook. Another interesting track was “If You Only Knew,” an emotional power ballad that sports a great vocal performance and a catchy, country-tinged arrangement. Going back to the Chicago covers, the gorgeous melody of “Will You Still Love Me,” co-written by Foster with Tom Keane and Richard Baskin, is the selection for this week’s review.

This modernized version is quite pleasant with a respectful arrangement based on tasteful programming. It is a pleasure to listen to the amazing vocal interplay between Scheff and Champlin, two masters at their game. As nice as this is, Foster’s work included on Chicago 18 was a completely different ball game. In those days, The Hitman was in his prime and defined an era and a music style with those meticulously crafted power ballads. This cover is a welcome reminder of the beauty of those melodies and the amazing talents of all those involved: Champlin, Scheff, Foster and the entire Chicago band. 

All things considered, Here I Am is a good comeback for Jason Scheff. We hope he’ll deliver more new music in the future, maybe showcasing his songwriting talent that was lacking on this cd.

Listen

• Bass & Vocals: Jason Scheff
• Vocals: Bill Champlin
• Keyboards, Vocals & Programming: Jay De Marcus
• Drums & Percussion: Dorian Crozier
• Guitars & Background vocals: Thomas Jankton

Lyrics

Take me as I am
Put your hand in mine now and forever
Darling here I stand, stand before you now
Deep inside I always knew
It was you, you and me
Two hearts drawn together bound by destiny
It was you and you for me
Every road leads to your door
Every step I take forever more

Just say you’ll love me for the rest of your life
I gotta lot of love and I don’t want to let go
Will you still love me for the rest of my life?
Cause I can’t go on
No, I can’t go on
I can’t go on
If I’m on my own

Take me as I am
Put your heart in mine, stay with me forever
’cause I am just a man who never understood
I never had a thing to prove
Till there was you
You and me
Then it all came clear so suddenly
How close to you that I want to be

Just say you’ll love me for the rest of your life
I gotta lot of love and I don’t want to let go
Will you still love me for the rest of my life?
Cause I can’t go on
No, I can’t go on
I can’t go on
If I’m on my own

Do you believe a love could run so stong?
Do you believe a love could pass you by?
There was no special one for me
I was the lovely one, you see
But then my heart lost all control
Now you’re all that I know

Just say you’ll love me for the rest of your life
I gotta lot of love and I don’t want to let go
Will you still love me for the rest of my life?
Cause I can’t go on
No, I can’t go on
I can’t go on
If I’m on my own

Released in 1986, Chicago 18 saw the veteran supergroup going back in the studio with David Foster. This time it was to help Chicago bear the loss of Peter Cetera who left to go solo in July of 1985, right after the huge success of Chicago 17. Facing such a tough   circumstance, Foster and the group did a remarkable job introducing new vocalist and bassist, Jason Scheff. Chicago 18 immediately achieved a couple of solid hit singles with “Will You Still Love Me” and “If She Would Have Been Faithful.” 

The last single off Chicago 18  was a muscular ballad titled “Niagara Falls.” Here, the Hitman played it safe with a composition co-written by two familiar names: Bobby Caldwell and Steve Kipner. Caldwell was the legendary singer/songwriter of “What You Won’t Do For Love” fame while Kipner co-wrote another massive Chicago hit, “Hard Habit To Break.” Those two gentlemen were sure bets when some soulful, radio-friendly music was needed and their inventive melody put in Foster’s capable hands resulted in a crackling, high-tech musical affair. On “Niagara Falls,” Scheff and Champlin did a fantastic job with some intricate vocal harmonies backed-up by the group’s trademark horns and funky rhythm guitars played by session great Mike Landau. A wall of keyboards and synths were handled on the song by Foster. “Niagara Falls” was released in June of 1987, almost a year after its parent album’s original release. That was certainly the reason why the song didn’t go higher than #91 on Billboard’s Hot 100. 

Chicago 18  was eventually certified platinum and, although it can’t be compared to its predecessor in terms of sales and chart success, it kept the group going at a difficult time. Chicago 18  also allowed the boys to make Chicago 19. The band was ready to welcome another string of hits with their new album.

Listen

Lead Vocals & Bass: Jason Scheff
Vocals & Keyboards: Bill Champlin
Keyboards: David Foster & Robert Lamm
Drums & Drum Programming: Danny Seraphine
Guitars: Michael Landau
Trombone: James Pankow
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Saxophone: Walter Parazaider
Horns Arranged by James Pankow
Produced & Arranged by David Foster

Lyrics

Baby, so you think you can start again?
You got somebody new
But the same thing keeps happening
At the moment of truth
Whoever you’re loving
You will be thinking of me

As long as Niagara falls
As long as Gibraltar stands
‘Til Hell freezes over
I’ll always be your man

Tell me, when you’re there lying by his side
Do you make him believe all your needs have been satisfied?
Does he know that your heart is taken forever?
Girl, you will always be mine

As long as Niagara falls
As long as Gibraltar stands
‘Til Hell freezes over
I’ll always be your man

Time can’t erase
What you feel in your heart
You can’t replace the love
No, it doesn’t matter how hard you try
Girl, you’re gonna miss my loving till the day you die
‘Til Hell freezes over

As long as Niagara falls
As long as Gibraltar stands
‘Til Hell freezes over
I’ll always be your man

As long as Niagara Falls
Until the end of time
‘Til Hell freezes over
You are forever mine

As long as Niagara falls
As long as Gibraltar stands
‘Til Hell freezes over
I’ll always be your man

written by Diane Warren

Let’s go back to the late Eighties. After a very successful stint with David Foster on their 16, 17 and 18 albums, Chicago opted for a more rock-infused sound for Chicago 19. They chose to collaborate with AOR producers Ron Nevison and Chas Sanford. Chicago 19 kept the hit series going for the veteran rock band with top ten hits like “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love,” “You’re Not Alone” and their third #1 ever, Diane Warren’s “Look Away.” All those hits were sung by Bill Champlin and produced by Nevison who sports an illustrious track-record with names including Kiss, Starship, Heart, Bad English and Damn Yankees. The obvious subsequent move was to confirm Nevison for Chicago Twenty-1.

Released in 1991, Chicago Twenty-1 was produced by Nevison except “Explain It To My Heart” produced by Humberto Gatica. Gatica also handled the final mixes of the whole album, a thing that Nevison didn’t quite appreciate. Chicago Twenty-1, though carefully crafted and packed with potential hit material, didn’t match the success of its predecessor. It does consist of some very good, up-tempo album tracks including “God Save The Queen” and “If It Were You.” It also has a couple of strong power ballads from the Warren gold and platinum songbook – “Chasin’ The Wind” and the aforementioned “Explain It To My Heart.” The only legitimate hit single off the album was “Chasin’ The Wind,” making the Top 40 at #39 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and reaching #13 on the Adult Contemporary chart. “You Come To My Senses” was another ballad that became an Adult Contemporary entry at #11.

In our opinion, “Explain It To My Heart” was the best song of the bunch. It was a polished production with fantastic vocal performances and harmonies by Jason Scheff and Champlin plus gorgeous piano playing by special guest David Foster. Chicago ‘s former producer brought the song more depth and artistic value with his brilliant instrumental performance. Chicago ‘s musicianship was impressive on this beautiful ballad with the help of Gatica’s expert ear and Warren ‘s catchy melody and refrain. This song was a music piece that wouldn’t have been out of place on the Foster-produced Chicago 17 or 18.

Check it out!

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/explain_it_to_my_heart.mp3|titles=Explain It To Heart|artists=Jason Scheff & Bill Champlin]

Lead & Backing Vocals: Jason Scheff & Bill Champlin

Acoustic Piano: David Foster

Drums: John Keane
Bass: Jason Scheff
Guitars: Michael Landau
Keyboards: Bill Champlin & Robert Lamm
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Trombone: James Pankow
Woodwinds: Walter Parazaider

Produced by Humberto Gatica

Lyrics

I understand there’s no future for us here
Guess, I fooled myself into thinkin’ there was
Now you’ve made it clear
It will never be right, guess we knew it all along
Now we’ve got to say goodbye
And I’ve got to be strong
So tell me one more time, how it’s better for the both of us
Tell me one more time, how we’ll hurt each other if we stay
Tell me one more time, my darlin’ there’s just one more thing
Before you walk away
Explain it to my heart, it’s better that we’re over now
Tell me one more time, this is the way it’s suppose to be
Tell me that I’m better off without you, how it’s better to forget about you
Darlin’ I understand, now won’t you please explain it to my heart?
Now if I try, I can see the reasons why
Why we can’t stay together
And I might convince my mind
But it’s breakin’ my heart to know I’ve got to let you go
To find that I must leave behind
The only love I’ve known
Well, I can tell myself that I never really needed you
I can tell myself that it’s better just to say goodbye
I can tell myself a thousand lies but tell me now
Tell me how I do
Explain it to my heart, it’s better that we’re over now
Tell me one more time, this is the way it’s suppose to be
Tell me that I’m better off without you, how it’s better to forget about you
Darlin’, I understand, now won’t you please explain it to my heart?
Say that I’ll be better if we don’t stay together
Say that I’ll be better off free but don’t say it to me
Explain it to my heart, tell me that I’m better off without you
How it’s better to forget about you, darlin’, I understand
Now, won’t you please explain it to my heart?
It’s better that we’re over now, tell me one more time
This is the way it’s suppose to be, tell me that I’m better off without you
How it’s better to forget about you, darlin’, I understand
Now, won’t you please explain it to my heart?

written by Robert Lamm & James Pankow

“25 Or 6 To 4” is one of Chicago’s trademark songs. It was originally released in 1970 on the super-group’s second album and was written by the band’s keyboard player, Robert Lam. “25 Or 6 To 4” is an amazing rock anthem that perfectly showcases Chicago’s blend of rock and jazz thanks to Terry Kath’s amazing guitar, Peter Cetera’s powerful tenor and Chicago’s trademark in-your-face horns.

Fifteen years later, Chicago was hotter than ever thanks to the multi-platinum triumph of “Chicago 17,” but suffered Cetera’s departure to go solo. Thanks to monster hits like “If You Leave Me Now,” “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re The Inspiration,” Cetera’s tenor had become recognizable as the band’s voice for worldwide audiences. Cetera’s was also the band’s main songwriting force through his partnership with producer David Foster. The loss of his talent to the band was extremely tough. When Chicago went into the studio with Foster to work on “Chicago 18,” they had Jason Scheff, a young tenor who sounded fairly enough like Cetera, but brought his own style to the group. Then Chicago had a brainstorm – remake their own hit “25 Or 6 To 4” to reaffirm Chicago’s identity and roots.

This new, high tech version became the first single off “Chicago 18” and reached #48 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The band also cut a video for the song that got quite some airplay on MTV. The song was slowed down compared to the original, with heavy synthesizer and drum programming supporting the band’s powerful horn playing and Michael Landau’s strong guitar. Scheff’s vocals and the group’s harmonies were flawless while Foster’s arrangement resembled some of Phil Collins’ work of those years. The production was perfect and “25 Or 6 To 4,” in this new, updated version, rocks again.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/25_or_6_to_4.mp3|titles=25 or 6 to 4|artists=Chicago]

Lead Vocals & Bass: Jason Scheff
Keyboards: David Foster, Robert Lamm & Bill Champlin
Electric Guitars: Michael Landau
Drums & Drum Programming: Danny Seraphine
Sax: Walter Parazaider
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Trombone: James Pankow
Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin, Robert Lamm & Jason Scheff

Arranged by David Foster, Robert Lamm & James Pankow
Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
Twenty-five or six to four

Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wond`ring how much I can take
Should I try to do some more
Twenty-five or six to four

Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Twenty-five or six to four
Twenty-five or six to four

written by  Steve Kipner & Randy Goodrum

“Greatest Hits 1982-1989” is the perfect tool for those music lovers who appreciate Chicago’s Adult Contemporary/Pop hits of the eighties. Released at the end of the decade, “Greatest Hits 1982-1989” presents all the evergreens of Chicago’s collaboration with David Foster like “Hard Habit To Break,” “Stay The Night,” “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re The Inspiration.”

Those perfectly crafted ballads shaped the now-classic Adult Contemporary sound of the era created from inspired vocal performances, superior musicianship, great arrangements and hi-tech production. The band kept having hit singles with Foster even after Peter Cetera’s departure in 1985 with the gorgeous “Will You Still Love Me” and “ If She Would Have Been Faithful,” both from Chicago 18.

“If She Would Have Been Faithful,” co-written by Steve Kipner and Randy Goodrum, was a smash Adult Contemporary hit and reached #17 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s a perfect example of Foster’s arranging genius and showcases the band’s fantastic vocal harmonies by Jason Scheff and Bill Champlin. “Greatest Hits 1982-1989” also includes the band’s big Chicago 19’s hits written by Diane Warren like “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love” and “Look Away” that reached #1 on the charts in 1988. This album arrived quickly in the Top 40 and has sold more than six million copies in the US to date.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/if_she_would_have_been_faithful.mp3|titles=If she would have been faithful|artists=Jason Scheff]

Lead Vocals & Bass: Jason Scheff
Drums: Danny Seraphine
Guitars: Michael Landau
Keyboards: David Foster, Bill Champlin & Robert Lamm
Trombone: James Pankow
Saxophone: Walter Parazaider
Trumpet: Lee Loughnane
Backing Vocals: Jason Scheff, Bill Champlin & Robert Lamm

Arranged by David Foster & Steve Kipner
Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

I was thinking about her
Visiting the past
Reconstructing details
With old photographs
I was studying the faces
With that objective point of view
Suddenly, rememb’ring doesn’t haunt me

At the time, you couldn’t tell me
If one day I’d be glad
That something that I thought was love
Was misinterpreted
She had another lover
She emphatic’lly denied
But they were doing me a favor
A blessing in disguise

(Chorus:)
If she would have been faithful
If she could have been true
Then I would have been cheated
I would never know real love
I would have missed out on you

I watch you sleeping
Your body touching me
There’s no doubt about it
This is where I want to be
You know, it’s so ironic
I had to lose to win
I want to thank her
Thank her for leavin’

(Repeat chorus)

(Bridge:)
It’s a paradox
Full of contradictions
How I got from there to here
It defies all logical explanation

(Repeat chorus twice)
If she would have been faithful
If she would have been faithful…