Although
Chicago tragically marked its decade anniversary with the bitter loss of lead guitarist
Terry Kath,
Hot Streets (1978) was not only the first release without him, it was also the band's initial offering away from
James William Guercio -- with whom the group had worked on every one of its previous dozen long-players.
Donnie Dacus (guitar/vocals) was brought in to fill
Kath's formidable shoes. His maiden voyage would likewise mark the beginning of a downward spiral in terms of the string of hits that was usually associated with
Chicago albums. Both the upbeat and pumping opener "Alive Again" and the typical adult contemporary balladry of "No Tell Lover" became their last Top 40 hits for nearly four years.
Phil Ramone's production gives the material an added and noticeable bite. The
Peter Cetera (bass/vocals) rocker "Little Miss Lovin" recalls the band's earliest sides by blending an aggressive backbeat with a funky and soulful rhythm. "Gone, Long, Gone," the disc's other
Cetera contribution, also stands out for
Dacus' spot-on slide guitar intonation, which mimics a similar style used most notably by
George Harrison. Although it failed to chart when extracted as a single, Robert Lamm's (keyboards/vocals) "Love Was New" is one of the more jazz-influenced tunes on
Hot Streets. The laid-back groove effortlessly carries the melody behind a fusion of light rock and contemporary jazz. The rapidly changing pop music landscape, whose horizons would embrace disco and new wave, would all but abandon
Chicago for the group's next few albums. Although the band attempted to adapt to the trends, it would be four LPs and four years before
Chicago would re-emerge in full form on its comeback,
Chicago 16 (1982). ~ Lindsay Planer