Anyone who appreciates Chicago for their unique blend of progressive jazz and soft rock would be sorely disappointed by this disc.

The horns are all but absent, largely replaced by synthesizer pads. The guitars are thick with 80s rock distortion. Soft rock is still prevalent (punctuated by light funk rhythms), though where they once wandered through prog jazz, they now look to arena rock instead, like a sort of Journey Lite. While there are a couple worthwhile tracks, You’re the Inspiration chief among them, largely, 17 is a bit of a miss for the same band that released Chicago V. Although, when you release seventeen albums in fifteen years, your bound to have some inconsistency.