I don’t know why I’m doing this to myself. I know for a fact that Bon Jovi will never release an album that has me firing on cylinders again. Fact is, I’m pretty sure they’ll never record an album I’ll even find decent again. So why bother then? Beats the hell outta me. It’s the fan in me, I guess. Maybe because I want them to give me something that’s at least worthwhile so bad. It was 20 years ago that happened. Bon Jovi aren’t the same band any more. Not even close. But they still sell a lot of albums and they draw a big crowd so they sure still has a lot of fans out there. As far as I’m concerned, Bon Jovi aren’t even a band at all anymore. This is Jon Bon Jovi with a back-up band and has been so for many years, even before his right hand Richie Sambora took his guitar and his amazing voice and took a hike.
That said, I was ready to eat those opinions when Bon Jovi released their last album This House Is Not For Sale back in 2016 when JBJ decided to go for a band vibe and put the whole band on the cover, including bassist Hugh MacDonald and guitarist Phil X but four years later it’s JBJ’s face alone on the cover again and my opinions stays on the plate uneaten. On the other hand, to many fans – especially the new ones – Bon Jovi equals JBJ only and they don’t give a shit about whether Sambora is around or not. Many of them probably don’t even know who he is – and I don’t think JBJ cares that much either. Ok, enough whining from my part. Let’s dive into the music – and hope that even though the record won’t sound like the band I used to know and love, it might have something to offer anyway.
Released as a single some eight months ago, but still not the leading single, opener “Limitless” made it clear for me that I shouldn’t hold my breath for anything remotely reminiscent to the Bon Jovi I love. This is a darker, mid-paced rocker – yes, rocker – that’s also a pop-song with at least a bit of an upbeat punch in the groove. That said, the drums sounds somewhat muted and would have benefitted from letting Tico go off a bit more. The verses are not bad at all, to be frank, but the repetitive chorus is – dull and going nowhere at all. And the inserted whoa, whoa, whoa might be of classic Bon Jovi style but doesn’t make the song sound anything like classic Bon Jovi at all.
Latest single “Do What You Can” is an uptempo Country sounding pop-rocker in the vein of the lukewarm hit single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”. The verses are held-back and somewhat introvert but it gets a bit more raunchy when the chorus tags along. I admit it’s very hook-laden and the chorus catches on but I’m not especially fond of Bon Jovi goes Country at all, even though I can’t get the damn chorus out of my head. The song is about social distancing, a subject we all know too much about these days. Originally called “I Can’t Breathe”, “American Reckoning” brings up the subject of the shooting of George Floyd. It’s slow, dark, subdued and sullen – a pop-rock ballad with a flowing rhythm. Musically, this does nothing for me – I can’t remember squat when it’s done but lyrically it’s raw and brave and kudos to JBJ for daring to writing a lyric with such a debated subject.
“Beautiful Drug” is a more uplifting number after three darker laden and political numbers which talks about love being said drug. It comes in uptempo, it’s more guitar driven with raunchy punch, taking the tune into a more hard-rocking vibe but it’s at the same time a bit abstemious. There are some prominent hooks and the chorus is quite catchy but as a whole it’s quite forgettable and it really just floats on by, in one ear, out the other. The ballad “Story Of Love” takes a singer-song writer direction, very stripped and earthy but also boring, cavernous and ramshackle – the tune crumbles with mawkish cheesiness. “Lai-di-di-dai”? C’mon already, how dorky can one get. This is horrendous. I will never play this song again – ever!
Things gets slightly better with the upbeat yet sullen “Let It Rain”. It’s a Bruce Springsteen-ish pop-song that tries to go Rock with some punchiness in the rhythm section and guitars higher in the mix but also with The Boss’ trademark tinkling piano parts. The chorus is ok but it fades faster than you can say New Jersey. Another ballad, “Lower The Flag” is held-back, sparse and streamlined on a stripped groove based on acoustic guitar. While the track might go for a down-to-earth and groundy vibe, the tune is also duller than dull, holds no hooks whatsoever and no real refrain to write home about. Too bad as the serious topic of the American mass-shootings deserves a better fate than this second-rate Dylan pastiche.
I was just about to give up on getting anything worthwhile out of this album when “Blood In The Water” shows up. At first listen, I thought it was the best track so far but only ok – then it started to grow on me. And then some. Damn, it’s a great song – probably the best song he’s written since the few great ones on Crush (2000). While it is another ballad, this one is angry and darkening with an emotive and captivating blues guitar from Phil X. The tune, a relative to “Dry County” from Keep The Faith (1992), talks about Jon struggling to stay a proud American the way the country appears today. It’s honest, pissed-off and clearly close to his heart. If Sambora’s guitar and vocals had been on the track, it would have sounded like my Bon Jovi for real. Holy damn, I really didn’t think he had it in him anymore. There is still hope.
The title of “Brothers In Arms” says everything what this tune is about. It’s an upbeat, guitar-driven rocker with a juicy groove and even if it doesn’t sound like the glory days of old, it feels good to hear some attitude from ole JBJ again. Mixing some Classic Rock style on a sleazy outlook with Jon’s smoother vocal melodies, I think it’s a good song albeit not great. Sambora could have bettered it, though – no shadow over Phil who delivers a splendid solo here. The album closes with the leading single “Unbroken”, released a year, give and take, ago. I remember finding it underwhelming when I first heard it but when I listen now, I quite like it. It’s heavy, dark and somewhat dystopian, slower in pace and a robust guitar riff. Jon’s vocal-melodies smoothen the song up with poppy vibes but it’s still a tough and smouldering. Who would have thought?
This album – the fourth that I know of called 2020 released this year – isn’t a good album but it’s better than I thought it would be, much because it’s saved by the last three songs. Jon steps out of his bland box on those. The rest of the album is insipid, abstemious and indifferent pop-music with songs of the same structure of the lat 15 years or so, that refuses to linger as soon as the record is finished. This is a very dark and political album – if you want an album to party to, look elsewhere. Also, this is a JBJ solo album, more than most of the latter-day Bon Jovi records are. It’s Jon alone on the cover and he’s the sole song-writer on eight of the ten tracks here. Listen, I know that artists develop in different directions as they grow older and I’m ok with that – Bon Jovi doesn’t have to sound like Slippery When Wet as long as they delivers the goods song-wise. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with this record.
4/10
More Bon Jovi reviews:
What About Now
Burning Bridges
This House Is Not For Sale
Tracklist:
1. Limitless
2. Do What You Can
3. American Reckoning
4. Beautiful Drug
5. Story Of Love
6. Let It Rain
7. Lower The Flag
8. Blood In The Water
9. Brothers In Arms
10. Unbroken
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