Let’s the record straight about Bon Jovi…again! If we let aside those few who applaud every single thing that the band makes, I am pretty certain that nobody takes seriously the albums that Jon and Co. has created after “Have A Nice Day”. And let’s pretend that we can understand “Lost Highway” as an emotional need of Jon Bon Jovi to embark on a pseudo-country path, the rest of the bunch after that certain point is nothing less than absolute disappointments. Records that include only a handful of good songs and are full of…fillers! In addition, Jon’s voice is long gone while in order to track down some good old, hard rockin’ electric guitars you have to turn back the hands of time to the aforementioned 2005’ “Have A Nice Day”. Naturally, Sambora’s absence is not to be taken lightheartedly and I won’t even make special reference to Jon’s ongoing (and failing) effort to become the next Bruce Springsteen. Influence and mimicry are two completely different words.
Please forgive me for this long intro but sometimes enough is enough! I know that there are a lot of old school Bon Jovi fans that share the same feelings with me. I have travelled all over the world to see Bon Jovi in concert and I can’t bear yet another bad and embarrassing album that no one will remember after…2020. This is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Sonically anemic songs over a flat and weak production by Shanks turn Bon Jovi into a band aimed towards 50-year old fancy ladies that try to persuade themselves and others that they are into rock music. Well, this is not rock music. Period. I can’t understand Jon. He comes up with two classic Bon Jovi songs –I am talking about “Limitless” and “Do What You Can”- and the next thing to do is to make them sound like pop tracks with a limited expiration date. 3-4 songs of the album openly flirt with Springsteen’s aesthetic –needless to say that the failure is total on this department- and if it wasn’t for “Blood in the Water” which reminds the glory days of “Dry County” we could have probably talked about the worst Bon Jovi record (and that says it all when there is out there albums like “Because We Can”, “The Circle” etc.).
Jon Bon Jovi is a living legend and he has offered us immensely great moments throughout the years. The band’s albums are classic. I am not sure what he is trying to achieve in the past decade or so but the truth is that he miserably fails in all fronts. Maybe he wants to run for a candidate senator. Who really knows? I just hope that one day he will remember that he is a hard rock musician and not a Springsteen copycat.
Highlight: If you are wondering why I am not saying anything about Tico, David, Hugh and Sambora’s replacement is due to the fact that “2020” is really a one-man show…
