Just to be clear, I have nothing at all against Lost Highway. It had its moments but for me it was nothing to really get excited about. Maybe also due to the fact that it was released less than 2 years after Have a Nice Day, so maybe for me the dust hadn't settled enough yet.

I think they may have had more passion in the first half of the 2000's (the era in question), regardless of what people's opinions are of their output then. That to me has been lacking since Lost Highway. I don't know if it's nostalgia or what but whenever I revisited the more recent Bon Jovi catalogue, it's the first 3 albums from that decade that pull me in more than the latter. Crush, despite its slushy, poppy production, seemed more "real" to me and Jon kinda still sounds decent. Bounce, despite the gash like "All About Lovin' You", sounds like a band trying to have a bit more fun than last time and it definitely rocked more. I love how much heavier it is in parts compared to other albums. As for Have a Nice Day, for a long time I used to see it as a huge improvement overall. Less studio effects, more consistent with rockers and somehow more honest, but in recent years I've thought less of it. It sounds the most manufactured compared to the previous 2 albums, like a Busted album.