I respect everyone's opinion here, but I actually wouldn't say I was suprised at These Days. It fit in with their progression, and they had to show they can be serious, GREAT songwriters. In my opinion, it is their BEST album. It literally gives me chills. Good example, the last line in "My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms"...Just LISTEN to the emotion in Jon's voice as he holds the word "arms" and Richie harmonizes with it. Whewww..truly amazing. My biggest suprise was Bounce...I will say that because I expected something similar to Crush. Since Crush was so big commercially (here in the states..it was the biggest since Jersey, it has sold half a million more than Keep the Faith did, by Soundscan numbers), I thought that it would be more like it. When I heard "Everyday" I really felt it would sound like Crush, because I felt it fit right in with it. I was suprised when I popped in Bounce...it has everything on it. I love it, and can't wait till the next album (although I am really hoping Bounce picks up on the charts). Finda figures though, here in the states, my favorite albums are the ones that sell the least (ex. These Days). I do think Bounce will gain some momentum though, with the new singles that will be put out (hope they get more airplay than the followups to "It's My Life" did) and the Superbowl appearance.