Jason Scheff was never fully utilized during his tenure with Chicago. Too often, he was relegated to attempting to emulate Peter Cetera (especially live), and his contributions were frequently ignored when it came time to work on their albums.
For 2006’s Chicago XXX, it seemed he was finally allowed to have a significant role in the writing and recording of a Chicago studio project. Honestly, it flamed out spectacularly.
Scheff was responsible for bringing in Jay DeMarcus to handle production duties and the Rascal Flatts bassist’s fingerprints are all over the songs on the album – including the LP’s seventh song, “90 Degrees and Freezing.” Written by DeMarcus, Robert Lamm, Jason Scheff and Brett James, with lead vocals by Robert Lamm and Jason Scheff, “90 Degrees and Freezing” is a decent Chicago song.
It checks all of the boxes: a good groove, horns featured prominently, alternating lead vocals, and a guitar solo. Where “90 Degrees and Freezing” fails, however, is in the production. Jay DeMarcus’ work here is, simply put, terrible.
In general, his approach lacks warmth, and this makes the song sound very harsh and often times tinny. “90 Degrees and Freezing” itself is not bad. The melody and chorus are catchy, and the lyrics are borderline clever. However, it is hard to get past the generous use of compression that is prevalent throughout the album. This prevents instruments from breathing, which DeMarcus tries to compensate for by boosting frequencies that ultimately make everything sound boring and flat to the listener.
Sadly, these issues aren’t confined to this “90 Degrees and Freezing.” To borrow the title from another Chicago XXX song, one has to wonder if this album really was the “king of might have been.”
- 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
