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"These Days" Review 1 January 1996

A review by Leonard Goodden

My name is Aron Goodden and I would like to offer you all my oppinion of " THESE DAYS ". I've been a huge B.J fan since the 80's and was desperately waiting for this album to come out. I was not dissapointed.

HEY GOD
A great rock song. Strong lyrics tell of a story of strugle that ends up setting the stage for the rest of the album. When I first heard the song, I thought the band had lost something and that Jon was trying to hard to sing the hard stuff. To my delight I was wrong. This angry song is a good asset to the album but being a ballad lover, I have to say that there are better. This song is a cry for help in a time where things may be harder than in the past.
Lyrics:8
Music:6

SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN
A great experiment song. The band really shows potential for the ability to change. New strings over a funky beat lead to a song that's different but not shocking to us loyal fans from the 80's. The over lapping vocals are my favorite part of the song because the haunting sound. Lyrics are typical Bon Jovi " man wants woman " but my boys from Jersey still do it with grace and style.
Lyrics:7
Music:7

THIS AIN'T A LOVESONG:
The first release led me to buy the album instantly. The boys gave me just what I needed to get by. Break ups are never easy but this song made me realize that life does go on. This song tells my whole story in a nut shell. This is a great power ballad with an opposing view for a change. It is by far one of my favorites and although radio and video will play this one to death, it will always be a classic.
Lyrics: 10 ( for not being predictable )
Music: 9

THESE DAYS
Amazing piano and guitar intro. Simple yet beautiful. Jon really shows us reality in this song by using a few stories to catch our imagination. I can actually picture whats going on in these stories and that is beacause Jon and Richie are some of the best writers in the industry. Words like "Graceless age" pull us right into the action and never let us go until the end of the song. By the end I feel almost proud for hanging on through my own hard times. Well deserving of the title track.
Lyrics: 8
Music: 9

LIE TO ME
What a concept. A love so strong yet so one sided. Nice keyboards, guitars ar their best and backround vocals that are felt rather than felt. This is easily one of my favorite songs. This a great ballad and even though it's not a rock song, It deserves credit as a song that reaches out in all directions slowly but effectively. I love this song! Great teamwork with a solo to die for.
Lyrics: 9
Music: 9

DAMNED
Why? Why was this put on the album. It sounds to much like "FEAR" from K.T.F. It has potential but the music and chorus suck! I guesse you can't please everybody. There are better.
Lyrics: 8
Music: 5

MY GUITAR LIES BLEEDING IN MY ARMS
The band tries hard to keep the new stuf fresh and in my oppinion does it well. As a writter and guitarist, this song is from the heart. It's not always easy to write love songs when life sucks! Overall a great song with awesome electric power chords all wraped up with a stong feel and changing througout. This song never be played to loud.
Lyrics: 8
Music: 8

IT'S HARD LETTING YOU GO
This one is one of my favorites. It nice to see that the band can pull off true ballads. The Jersey boys show that it doesn't have to be glamorous to be done right. Richie has really improved in his guitar playing. The acoustics are a nice change. Are the boys going back to the basics? The lyrics are amazing in this song and I love the brige. It holds the song together and gives us the feeling of hope in this really sad song.
Lyrics: 9
Music: 9

HEARTS BREAKING EVEN
We needed this one! This is a power ballad staight from "New Jersey" and even though it is no "Bed of roses", it still pulls off the B.J style we're used to. This song let's us feel good when we would normally feel like shit. Nice rolling solo with strong beat garanteed to make you smile. I like this one a lot! I would like to see a video for this one.
Lyrics: 7
Music: 7

SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN
Great song. Bon Jovi did a good job musically with a song that is lacking lyrically. For me, the lyrics just don't flow. The versus are good but the brige just doesn't work. I think this song was rushed and could be better. All and all I like this tune anyway. The music stands alone and the lyrics do have a good message.
Lyrics: 7
Music: 9

IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES
This song is genuinely Bon Jovi. It works with all it's suroundings and pulls us right into the action of the song. Devotion in it's every sense is expressed here. Guys If you're looking for lines to use on your ladies, here they are. Jon never stops amazing me with the millions of diferent ways he can lyrically express love. It's great and I know there's more to come. This song is a good rock tune and could have been on any of the previous albums. It just has that overall B.J feel.
Lyrics: 9
Music: 7

DIAMOND RING
So simple but still a great song. It took me five minutes to work out on my guitar and that shows that a song doesn't have to be complex to be great. The lyrics are from the heart and the music sounds like they were just fooling around with new materiel when this little gem was born. This reminds me of "Love 4 sale" and "Little bit of soul" for the simple fact that jaming songs are the best. It let's the band come back down to earth. Diamond ring is an inspiration to all of us young song writters.
Lyrics: 7
Music: 8

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