There’s an old saying that warns about “going to the well once too often.” For Chicago, following up on the triumphant return that was 1982’s Chicago 16 was already a daunting task. By bringing back producer David Foster for 1984’s Chicago 17, the band once again seemed to capture lightning in a bottle.
However, after the departure of vocalist/bassist Peter Cetera and the subsequent hiring of Jason Scheff, Chicago once again turned to David Foster to provide some continuity and ensure an orderly transition to what would amount to a new era in the band. I would argue that it came with mixed results.
“Niagara Falls,” the first song on 1986’s Chicago 18 and the first to feature Scheff, kicks things off with moderate energy and enthusiasm but ultimately fails in the same way the rest of the album does. Both Chicago 16 and 17 use synthesizers and drum machines to a large extent, but both of those albums seem to find a balance between acoustic and synthesized instruments. Chicago 18 unfortunately doesn’t seem to do this as well and “Niagara Falls” is a perfect example of this.
The song is very synth heavy right out of the gate, with very little hint of an acoustic instrument anywhere in the mix. Unfortunately, this seems to permeate the entire album. The vocal effects are also over processed, giving them a very robotic quality. In general, the production elements that made the previous two albums such gems are largely absent.
There are positive aspects. Written by Steve Kipner (“Hard Habit to Break“) and Bobby Caldwell of “What You Won’t Do For Love” fame, “Niagara Falls” is a superbly written song about a lover who has failed to move on from the end of a relationship. The hook is catchy and the lyrics represent what most of us have felt after a relationship we didn’t (or weren’t prepared for) want to end.
I have long had “Niagara Falls” on my running playlist, as its tempo works very well with the pace at which I like to jog. But, like the album, the production saps some of the life from the song. It is a problem that plagues Chicago 18 up and down; there is a lot to love and a lot that’s “meh.”
Ultimately, “Niagara Falls” and the rest of this album represent Chicago’s most-dated era.
- Chicago, “90 Degrees and Freezing” from ‘Chicago XXX’ (2006): Saturdays in the Park - October 23, 2021
- Chicago, “Show Me a Sign” from ‘Heart of Chicago Vol. II’ (1998): Saturdays in the Park - August 14, 2021
- Chicago, “Sophisticated Lady” from ‘Night & Day: Big Band’ (1995): Saturdays in the Park - May 29, 2021
