Robert Lamm - The Bossa Project (2008)

Chicago's artistic conscience, Robert Lamm, released his sixth solo CD in 2008, and probably the only people who heard it are the band's loyal, longtime fans. Obscurity is the price paid by playing in a faceless band, especially one that received little positive attention from the press.

Having realized far more than a blue moon ago that Chicago is now just a power ballad, corporate paycheck that has long since jumped the musical shark, Lamm released a series of solo works that expressed his chameleon-like musical muse.

Seldom does such a restless and creative talent remain with the same band for more than five decades, but he's still there, playing keyboards and singing his Chicago songs, concert season after concert season. Whether he remains out of loyalty, a paycheck, or both, I haven't a clue. All I know is that he still makes interesting and enjoyable music on his own, and The Bossa Project is no exception.

Lamm loves bossa nova and he talked for years about releasing an all bossa nova album. His wish finally turned into reality it that's a very good thing. Unusually, this classic rocker, who seems to love composing more than anything else he does musically, has only written two songs for the sessions. He covers several bossa standards including "A Man and A Woman," and "Aguas De Marco" ("Waters of March") very effectively. There are no surprises, just a disc full of well-played and well-sung songs. Lamm's detractors often criticize him for his borderline lounge-lizard vocal style. Here, his voice is a perfect fit for the music on this set.

The cool thing about bossa nova is that it is almost always briskly paced without being loud and The Bossa Project is no exception. It's upbeat, yet smooth and classy. Lamm - who only sings and doesn't play keyboards on the album - and producer John Van Epps do the genre proud.

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