After more than four decades leading Special EFX, Emmy-winning guitarist and composer Chieli Minucci knows exactly what audiences want—and on The Hits, he delivers it in full. Set for release February 6 via Chieli Music, the new collection brings together the band’s most beloved moments with an eye firmly on what’s next: seven Billboard No. 1 singles, freshly remastered fan favorites, and three brand-new tracks poised to become future staples.
With contemporary jazz radio outlets dwindling, Minucci recognized that even chart-topping new songs weren’t always familiar to concertgoers. What audiences consistently asked for was nostalgia—“play the hits.” The result is a 14-song retrospective drawn from Special EFX’s 25-album catalog, celebrating a legacy that includes eight Billboard No. 1s and a GRAMMY® nomination for 1985’s Modern Manners. Available for pre-order now, The Hits is both a time capsule and a statement of creative momentum.
Founded by Minucci and the late Hungarian percussionist George Jinda, Special EFX has always been an all-star enterprise, and The Hits continues that tradition. The album features an impressive roster of collaborators, including Warren Hill, Eric Marienthal, Paul Brown, Michael Paulo, Elan Trotman, Nicholas Cole, Lin Rountree, Oli Silk, David Mann, Roberto Vally, Greg Vail, Shane Theriot, Ron King, Omar Hakim, and Lionel Cordew. Minucci wrote and produced the album himself, with the exception of “Lavish,” which was written and produced by Cole.
The collection opens with a newly recorded version of “Uptown East,” one of Special EFX’s signature fusion burners. Reimagined using the original arrangement as a template, the track was recorded live in the studio with Minucci’s East Coast EFX band, reflecting decades of evolution on stage. From there, the album moves through defining moments like “Blue Lagoon,” Minucci’s one-man-band breakthrough with its breezy reggae feel, and “Cool Summer,” a nylon-string gem co-written with two-time GRAMMY® winner Paul Brown that finally appears on an album after topping the Billboard chart last year.
New material stands confidently alongside the classics. “Waterfall,” written as a concert opener, blends pop accessibility with jazz-rock fire, featuring a show-stopping alto sax performance by Eric Marienthal. “Lavish,” born from Minucci’s first experience working with an outside writer-producer, adds a fresh yet unmistakably Special EFX flavor, while “Been So Long,” a collaboration with American Idol finalist Elliott Yamin, introduces a soulful vocal turn that’s set for single release next year.
Other highlights include a bluesier reworking of “You Make Me Blue,” the sultry No. 1 hit “Dreams,” and “Marbella,” the romantic lead single inspired by Minucci’s fantasy getaway in Spain. Longtime fan favorites like “Passions,” “Till The End Of Time,” and concert-closer “Cruise Control” round out the set, underscoring the groove-driven energy that has defined Special EFX for generations.
Beyond the band, Minucci’s career spans collaborations with artists ranging from Celine Dion and Lou Reed to Kirk Whalum and Norman Brown, along with an acclaimed parallel life as a film and television composer. A three-time Emmy winner, his music has appeared in films like No Country for Old Men and Legally Blonde, as well as major stage productions including Peter Pan and Dora the Explorer.
With The Hits, Chieli Minucci and Special EFX reaffirm a simple truth: great songs don’t age—they evolve. This collection honors where the band has been, celebrates where it is now, and makes a compelling case for what’s still to come.
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