Jim Peterik, the hit-making songwriter and musician who fronts The Ides of March and co-founded Survivor, has announced details of a new album with his side project World Stage. River of Music: The Power of Duets, Vol. 1, is a 10-track collaborative collection that’s due out on December 12.
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The album features Peterik duetting with various guest artists, including REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin, Jefferson Starship’s Cathy Richardson, ex-Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff, and Jim’s son Colin.
According to a press release, River of Music: The Power of Duets is Peterik’s “most personal and inspired projects to date.” The release describes the album as “a heartfelt tribute to the spirit of collaboration, where each song becomes a shared story told through harmony, emotion, and musical chemistry.”
Jim has released a track a called “The Cadence of Things” as the lead single from the record. The tune features Peterik sharing lead vocals with Scheff, who was a member of Chicago from 1985 to 2016.
“The song speaks to the rhythm of life all around us—the sound of love in the making—the sound of a heart when it’s breaking,” Peterik explained. “It’s the ‘Cadence of Things.’”
The track is available now via digital formats. In addition, a companion music video has debuted at the Frontiers Music label’s official YouTube channel.
More About River of Music: The Power of Duets, Vol. 1
You can pre-order River of Music: The Power of Duets, Vol. 1 on CD now.
Other guest singers on the album include Peterik’s Pride of Lions bandmate Toby Hitchcock, Bree Gordon, and Kaity Heart.
Among the musicians who contributed to the project are Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X; one-time Heart drummer Denny Fongheiser; bassist Tony Franklin of the 1980s supergroup The Firm; bassist Bob Lizik of Brian Wilson’s band; and in-demand session keyboardist Kim Bullard.
River of Music: The Power of Duets, Vol. 1 was produced by Ron Nevison. Nevison’s long list of production credits include albums by Survivor, Jefferson Starship, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, Chicago, and Damn Yankees.
Meanwhile, a second volume of River of Music: The Power of Duets is expected out sometime in the future.
More About Jim Peterik
The 74-year-old Peterik co-founded The Ides of March as a teenager in 1964. He wrote and sang the band’s most famous song, “Vehicle,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
Jim co-founded Survivor in 1978, and co-wrote all of the group’s major hits, including the chart-topping smash “Eye of the Tiger,” “The Search Is Over,” and “Burning Heart.”
Peter also co-wrote hits for several other artists, including 38 Special and Sammy Hagar.
More recently, Jim co-wrote two songs for The Beach Boys’ 2012 reunion album, That’s Why God Made the Radio. He also collaborated with ex-Styx singer/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung on his two latest solo albums 26 East, Vol. 1 and 26 East, Vol. 2, which were released in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
As previously reported, Peterik also co-wrote most of the tunes on 38 Special’s just-released studio album, Milestone.
According to his official website, Jim currently has two shows lined up with The Ides of March. The first is scheduled for October 11 in Woodstock, Illinois, and the second on November 29 in Des Plaines, Illinois.
River of Music: The Power of Duets, Vol. 1 Track List:
- “River of Music” – featuring Jim Peterik & Colin Peterik
- “Waiting for You” – featuring Dave Mikulskis & Bree Gordon
- “The Cadence of Things” – featuring Jim Peterik & Jason Scheff
- “Soul of My Being” – featuring Toby Hitchcock & Bree Gordon
- “Between Two Fires” – featuring Jim Peterik & Kevin Cronin
- “Double Rainbow” – featuring Jim Peterik & Cathy Richardson
- “Slow Lightning” – featuring Jim Peterik & Colin Peterik
- “In Good Faith” – featuring Toby Hitchcock & Kaity Heart
- “I’m a Survivor” – featuring Jim Peterik & Kaity Heart
- “Everything You Need” – featuring Colin Peterik & Jim Peterik
(Photo by Kristie Schram)
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