The year was 1996. Hip hop and bubblegum pop had a firm stranglehold on the successes and spoils popular music had to offer. Sadly, there was no place for aging Illinois’ rockers Chicago and their variety of atypical soft rock. But that didn’t stop Philadelphia five piece Az Yet from resurrecting one of their 80’s classics “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” for a brand new audience.

I’ve written at length about what makes a good cover; mainly the new take needs to set itself apart from the original in some effective fashion. In this 90’s revival, the two-hit wonders [don’t sleep on the bedroom jam “Last Night”] enlist the expertise of the legendary Babyface to flip the synth-laden progressive rocker into a stirring R&B smash with understated grooves and crazy harmonies. And Chicago’s frontman even joins in the revamp fun with a full-blooded cameo. Pardon the trendy cliche, but Peter Cetera throttling the climax like that gives me all the feels. So turn this up, jump in the shower, and cry-sing this one out with me.

Note: the Peter Cetera assisted single is actually known as the David Foster Remix, below:

But you can still check out the album version visual in all its mid 90’s glory here: