Originally Posted by Supersonic

Aloha !



You tell me which album this review is from without using Google.

Bon Jovi's latest album shows no signs of deviating from the well-trodden path, and is arguably the weakest of their post-2000 releases. The opener and lead-single sounds strikingly lethargic and irritatingly overproduced until the bridge offers some sort of saving grace by adding a bit of guitar noise. Other tracks follow in much the same vein, unambitious and over familiar rockers, that show little in the way of innovation or new ideas. There's a mid-tempo acoustic/electric rocker, blatant rip offs of other current acts and there's ballads as well, most nauseatingly on the supposedly intimate song where Jon Bon Jovi (vocals, of course) veers uncomfortably close to self-parody, singing about cliches no one would dare to put on record. Notable highlights are difficult to come by, but the pseudo intellectual lyrics mentioning the social state of the U.S.A. have Jon channelling his inner-Springsteen as he makes a surprisingly moving state of the nation address, and finally the guitarist is allowed to shine and do himself justice. Still a fine player, he’s capable of the usual obnoxious flashiness, but also demonstrates some impressively tasteful, textural playing. For the most part though, it’s predictable, it’s comfortable, it’s by-the-numbers rock built for America FM. And it's become very irrelevant.

You tell me.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan