“Elegy” is not an easy listen, but it shows the range of styles that Chicago’s original lineup could pull off – and pull off very well.

Through 12new compositions Michael Dease convincingly conveys the history in the context of social upheaval and displacement with ‘All These Hands’.

The Rolling Stones bring an effervescence and a sense of fun to ‘Blue and Lonesome’ that makes it entirely listenable.

Preston Frazier surveys the best rock, pop and soul of 2016, selecting a widely varied slate of honorees.

The graceful finesse that Haidu has mastered from countless gigs and mentoring from the likes of Kenny Barron and David Hazeltine bear sweet fruit on his composition “They Who??”.

The soulful “Without Your Love” is a passing of the torch from David Paich, who handled most of the lead vocal duties on earlier Toto albums, to Steve Lukather.

As you go through my Best Hard Rock and Metal of 2016 list, you’ll see why I’m calling it the year of the classic thrash band.

Across four careers that leave nothing left to prove, Holland, Potter, Harland and Loueke look to each other for further inspiration on ‘Aziza.’

“Hour in the Shower” is a welcome reminder that as serious as Chicago took themselves at times, they still knew how to have fun.

On the powerful and unrelenting ‘Process and Reality’, Yoshida’s thunderous drums provide the adrenaline as Pinhas and Merzbow supply the clinical soul.