jbjkrg15 posted this in the BBC thread but I thought it was an interesting point.

In general, I'm the same - I mean I listen to the Counting Crows a lot and Adam Duritz writes very introspective, often hurt-filled lyrics. Stabbing Westward play dark songs about relationship breakups. Most of my playlist in fact whilst I wouldn't call it depressing, is certainly filled with moodier or angrier lyrics, and that tends to be the sort of stuff I write too.

Other than Morcheeba which is more chilled-happy-funky vibe, Bon Jovi are a little bit of an anomaly yet take up the majority of the songs on my itunes. Even These Days, which is moodier, I certainly don't find depressing - like all Bon Jovi tracks even in their darkest hour there's always some kind of light shining through.

Thinking this through, this is why I need Bon Jovi's music - even some of the fluff on What About Now has something that no other artist I listen to has, or in fact any other artist I can really think of. These are songs of hope, songs to get you through the tough times, songs that when your banging your ****ing head against a brick wall
say "it's alright" (although granted, maybe a few too many times )

The music might be diluted, it might be overproduced, it might not have the vocal strength or the raw guitar of the early days and the lyrics might be cliched and cheesy and I may have heard it all before from this band, and like a lot of you I may crave something new and fresh from them - but their still different from anyone else I actually listen to.