Chicago Christmas CD with Original Holiday Songs and Standards

Chicago gets into the holiday spirit on this album, mixing songs written for the record with a few yuletide favorites. Founding member Lee Loughnane produced it, and CHICAGO CHRISTMAS is the band's 37th album and its fourth holiday collection.

Where earlier holiday releases leaned on traditional Christmas material, this one spotlights holiday music the band wrote especially for the album, including “All Over The World,” “(Because) It's Christmastime,” and “I'm Your Santa Claus.” You also get R&B and ballad versions of “Merry Christmas, I Love You,” written by Loughnane with John Durrill of The Ventures.

Two holiday standards sit alongside the originals: “Here We Come A Caroling” and “Sleigh Ride.” Chicago has recorded “Sleigh Ride” once before — a different version appears on Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Thee (2011). Rounding things out is a soulful take on the Hal David and Burt Bacharach classic “What The World Needs Now Is Love,” which founding member Robert Lamm felt carried a timely message for the holidays.

Members of the band contributed original compositions, and the horn arrangements by founding member James Pankow are unmistakable throughout. Tim Jessup recorded and mixed the album.