I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for long-time Chicago fans when 1988’s Chicago 19 arrived after they’d endured the transition of the band following the death of founding member Terry Kath, then the aftermath of the dismissal of Donnie Dacus, through the David Foster/Peter Cetera era, and finally the David Foster/Jason Scheff experiment.
They would be understandably apprehensive about the new post-Foster age. Luckily, the band didn’t disappoint in feeding that apprehension.
Chicago 19 would do much better on the charts than its disappointing predecessor, but on the strength of four very non-Chicago sounding singles. That doesn’t mean the band suddenly found the artistic creativity and fire that were the hallmarks of their earlier years. In fact, quite the opposite: Chicago relied even more heavily on outside songwriters to craft an album that seemed more interested in paying the bills than being a creative expression at this point in their careers.
The opening song on Chicago 19, “Heart in Pieces” kicks things off with fire, and is not a bad song on its own. Written by Canadians Tim Feehan and Chilliwack multi-instrumentalist and composer Brian Macleod, “Heart in Pieces” is an uptempo, catchy pop song that shows off both Jason Scheff’s vocals and his bass playing.
One thing that stands out to me is the production: In stark contrast to the overly synthesized and layered production found on 1986’s Chicago 18, this song is much more stripped down. The synthesizers are still prevalent, but the mix keeps them from sonically smashing together and they don’t overwhelm the vocals.
Jason Scheff’s voice sounds more mature and organic when compared to his previous effort on 18. This could be in part due to producer Chas Sandford allowing Scheff to be himself, as opposed to David Foster trying to have him emulate Peter Cetera.
Personally, this is my favorite song on the album. The first time I heard “Heart in Pieces,” I was drawn in and even listening today, it still stands out to me. Despite being composed by outside writers, “Heart in Pieces” retains a Chicago-esque feel, and the group does a good job of making it their own.
This is not a Chicago masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. However, at this point in their career, “Heart in Pieces” was as good a song you would find from them.
- 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
