Track by track:

“Turn down the lights, Light a candle …. Welcome ….”

Rest In Peace / Church Of Desire – Like Ride Cowboy Ride and Stick To Your Guns, I prefer to rate these together, mainly because Rest In Peace seems to act more as an intro piece for the entire album. Rest In Peace is a very slow burning ode to being apart from someone. Comprised purely of guitars, vocals and a very slight synth effect; it sounds like it has been recorded by a lone man in a cavernous room, with an echoing effect on Richie’s voice and guitar. The use of multilayering different guitar effects in order to create a non-traditional version of the “wall of sound” is very effective, and the song is the first showcase for Richie’s incredible blues voice. However, although this is a very atmospheric piece, I find it difficult to call it a complete song, as it really features little use of the dynamics that make up most songs, and instead comes across as a bit of a one-dimensional drone. But purely as an introduction piece to both the album generally and Church Of Desire specifically, it succeeds in capturing the listener’s attention, making them wonder what is to come.

Church Of Desire beings immediately after Rest In Peace’s conclusion, the synthesiser track flowing between the two songs flawlessly. From here, the intro is made up of a number of blues licks and chords from Richie, continuing after the bassline and drums have begun. Then, with a screeching lick from the electric guitar, and a spine-tingling “Woah yeah!” from Richie, the song proper begins. Richie shows here that he is just as adept at Jon as using his voice dynamically: employing a more introspective, subdued vocal style for the verses, while making the choruses and pre-choruses soar (and really unleashing his inner rock beast for the last “Lonely street” of the song). Right from the off you can tell that this album is going to be a very different beast from Bon Jovi (or at least the Bon Jovi that had existed until then: the minimal use of synthesisers is a dead giveaway, as is the depth and maturity on show here, both lyrically and stylistically. Most notable perhaps is that this song doesn’t feature any of the sort of guitar riffs that most Bon Jovi songs featured; instead the guitar work is a series of licks, fills, solos and chords, all performed by Richie and using different guitar effects. It’s clear that, although Bon Jovi songs featured fantastic guitar work, this is more a guitar album than any of the Bon Jovi albums. Ending with a searing electric guitar solo, which fades down into a lighter tone which seems to unravel before disappearing completely; this song is a fantastic way to show what this album is about, and like Miracle on Blaze Of Glory, marks a contrast to the Bon Jovi material.

4/5 for both songs together