I'm interviewing Richie tomorrow.. wanna help?

I actually had to search the date of the GH. I could have sworn it was released in the fall of 2011, not like I thought it was released like that, I was sure it was released at that time. hhhmmm?? ok my bad carry on....

Haha I had to double check the dates too. That era kind of blends together for me.

@semigoodlookin – great post.

I have no trouble with Richie doing his thang with this woman if that’s what he wants to do – as people know I don’t see the point of it because it won’t change Richie’s sound when it comes to his solo stuff and BJ stuff. He will just do whatever the flow is. But Im pleased he is getting out of his system as it will be good for him.
Yes he sounds pissed off with the last few albums and his involvement and for that reason I was so disappointment with Aftermath as it was a safe bore fest.
This was his time to say – look this is who I am and this is how I want to rock it out loud – but it didn’t.
If the Aftermath album was so different to anything Jovi had released in last 10 years id be stoked – but it didn’t. Stranger was the same – it was basically Bon Jovi without Jon and even had Rosie which was a Jovi song.
Id respect Richie more if he left Bon Jovi saying he felt musically repressed and then released a thumping rocking Solo album but he won’t. He will still be in Bon Jovi not getting much of say and release another safe solo album.
Richie needs to be heard though as I really feel Jovi need to change direction again and work with different people and not yes men.

You do write lots of stuff and it makes sense sometimes and other times it doesn't. But how on Earth one could ever think that Stranger sounded like Bon Jovi is beyond me....

I think Richie should go on tour with other artist bigger than him like the Goo Goo Dolls did with Matchbox Twenty to play in bigger venues. It's getting weird for him playing in such small places.

I prefer it this way. I like seeing him up close and being able to joke with him, and communicate with him in such an intimate setting. Everything is way more personal. There is no wall up between him and the audience.

I guess that's fair playing in a mix of intimate too.

Well, half of it does. The 2nd half of the album is very Jovi.

The arrangements are quite different, though. Sure, Father Time and Rosie have the BJ songwriting (i.e. Desmond Child), but even tracks like Wild Is The Wind only hinted at these semi-acoustic arrangements and guitar licks.

I don´t think Stranger is too Bon Jovi like, although naturally some stuff will creep in as he writes the Bon Jovi tunes too (some of them). For example, there is no getting away from the fact that he is the guitarist in the band, so when he does a solo album you hear licks or variations that are either lifted from Jovi songs or appeared on later ones. I want to clarify I don´t mean direct copies, but Sambora has always recycled guitar parts and Stranger is full of them.

I´ve always been torn on his first solo album, I love many of the songs, but sometimes it comes across as someone aping blues. I am a huge fan of SRV, Clapton, Beck and it feels like Richie is trying to emulate them but ultimately failing. Although as a standalone album I like Stranger a lot.