The follow up to the bands landmark 1986 "classic" Slippery When Wet is a major leap forward, in my opinion. One of the main reasons I can never view SWW as a classic is how 80'ish it sounds, and I know people say, "well duh, that's because it was made in the eighties" but for me a classic album should sound timeless, it should be able to be released at any date in time and sound present, Slippery for me, dose not. New Jersey however marked a major step forward in production values, it dose have a slightly eighty'ish sound but definitely not near the extent Slippery dose. It also marks a major leap forward in songwritting. With Slippery the band found out who they were as musicans and as songwriters and what worked for them and with New Jersey you could sense a band full of confidence and ready to push themselves further. They basically took what worked in Slippery and pushed themselves further down that road.

LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME is an awesome opening song. A really well written tounge-in-cheek rock song. Shame they don't produce songs as hard as this these days. 5/5

I loathe the studio version of BAD MEDICINE. Still to this day I don't think I've managed to listen to this song right through again. Strangely enough I absolutely love it live but this version is just awful. 1/5

BORN TO BE MY BABY is definitely a follow up to Prayer and a damn good one at that. It starts to mark a deeper, more meaningful song writting style for the album and it's a really superb pop/rock song. 5/5

LIVING IN SIN is an interesting one. On the surface it appears to be a rather childish power ballad with very weak lyrics but it is a very powerful song with a great vocal from Jon that really elevates it above it's lyrical constraints. 4/5

BLOOD ON BLOOD is the best track on the album and the best song this band produced in the eighties. A truly brilliant 6 minute epic rock ballad. 5/5

HOMEBOUND TRAIN is another one I greatly dislike. There's just no redeeming features about this song for me, dosen't even sound like Bon Jovi. 1/5

WILD IS THE WIND. The album picks up with this little ditty. Yes it may be rather cheesy lyrically but musically it's very powerful and really is a guilty pleasure of mine. 4/5

RIDE COWBOY RIDE / STICK TO YOUR GUNS: RCR is a great little intro to a really fantastic song. STYG is one of the most brilliant and most powerful songs this band has written and always confuses me why this isn't a staple at live shows. 5/5

I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU is really the first proper power-ballad they wrote. By no means the best and drags a little at the end but the power and emotion that comes across more then makes up for it and Jon and Richies harmonies sound fantastic. I do prefer it when Richie takes lead vocals. His bluesy voice is better suited IMO. 5/5

99 IN THE SHADE is a weak rehash of Wild In The Streets. It's not the worst song on the album but it is utterly forgettable. 2/5

LOVE FOR SALE is a really cool little drunken accoustic number to finish with and I don't know how to really explain it but it gives the album a certain charm that I like. 4/5

New Jersey was certainly a step forward and it kept the evolution of the band moving in the right direction. It showed the band were capable of deeper, more meaningful songs while still keeping hold of the that fun rock and roll sound and that trend continued right through to Destination Anywhere. All in all New Jersey is a truly superb rock album that defines perfectly who Bon Jovi were in the eighties. Of course the album title is pure sh1t, could've been worse though, they could have called it "Sons of the Beach" or something about the heat at which rock spontaniously combusts. All in all though a great album: 4 and 1/2 STARS.



Phil