Chicago fans have waited a long time for the release of XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus. Fifteen years, to be exact. Thanks to leaked bootleg recordings and the appearances of some of these songs on compilations or solo releases, fans have already heard bits and pieces of this disc. But this is the first time that Chicago-lovers can sit down and hear the entire album as it was meant to be heard.

(Well, almost as it was meant to be heard -- the much-ballyhooed cut, "Get On This," has been excluded from the final release.)

This album doesn't sound like anything Chicago has done for a long, long time. In order to appreciate this, you'll have to leave behind your preconceived notions of what a Chicago album should sound like -- because, for the most part, this one doesn't. That is clear from the outset, when the band launches into the title track. "Stone Of Sisyphus" has a solid '80s rock feel; one immediately envisions a video that involves a wind tunnel and lots of dry ice.

But, as they do frequently over the course of this disc, the band quickly shifts gears and delivers one of XXXII's most notable cuts, "Bigger Than Elvis." The back story on this song is as much a part of its glory as the song itself; bass player/vocalist Jason Scheff recalled watching his dad play bass with Elvis Presley on the historic Aloha From Hawaii television special. So he wrote this song, recalling that moment and the youthful idolization he had for his father. To make this ballad even more compelling, producer Peter Wolf brought in The Jordainaires -- Presley's backup singers -- to provide backing vocals and brought in Scheff's father on bass.

XXXII is full of surprises like that; "Mah-Jong" is a funky track that feels like a Tower of Power song. It lets the band indulge its love of horns with a cool groove that makes it among the catchiest cuts on the disc.

But as far as surprises go, there's none bigger than "Sleeping In The Middle Of The Bed," a social commentary delivered as a lite rap tune. It makes some strong statements about the current state of the world, and is a surprising departure of the band's typical style.

It's not until six tracks into the album that Chicago delivers "Let's Take A Lifetime," the kind of song that has all the band's trademark sounds, from the soaring heartfelt vocals to the soft horns pushing it forward. This one is a gentle love ballad that has all the elements of their previous hits and will resonate with those looking for something comforting and familiar. There's a similar feel on "The Pull," which begins as a gentle ballad and builds into a lightly rocking horn-driven cut; and "Here With Me (A Candle For The Dark)," one of this disc's more romantic tracks.

To reward long-suffering fans who have waited far too long for this disc, the band throws in some extras at the end, including demo versions of three of the songs and a cut of the title track sans its rhythm loop. There's no making up for the time lost waiting for this disc, but Chicago is bound and determined to let fans know it was worth every minute.

By Paula Felps