Kuba’s lowdown…..review and more

Well, finally I can share my thoughts about Richie’s new album. I decided to open an new thread for it as it’s not going to be a typical review. A certain chain of circumstances and things that has happened in my life made me write this all down. I think I need to let it all out. Maybe for myself, maybe it’s meant for some of you. I don’t know. This is my lowdown that was born along with “Aftermath of the Lowdown” by Richie.

So, Richie’s new album was the one I was waiting for the most. I didn’t care about bands album that much this time, I always love their work, but they delivered many times during the last 10 years and Richie still has not, and my hunger for it was just stronger. Long 14 years after Undiscovered Soul, finally the new album has come out.

But I guess that whole story has to start where the last one finished. Yes, the beginning of this story starts in Dublin, back in 2011. Those 2 shows were the most amazing shows I have ever witnessed that has awarded me with my greatest dream coming true. Finally I saw them play Dry County live. I went there for that one song, for Richie’s solo actually. But to get it I had to sacrifice my daughter’s birthday and miss it to have my dream come true As we all know, it was very close to missing that when he went to rehab just about 2 months before that and it was not certain if he’s gonna come to Europe or not. Eventually he did, but I guess that’s when I realized how important Richie is for me as a fan. I am a self thought guitar player too, I used to play in a small band a bit, and naturally such an amazing player like he is was my hero from the start. His plays inspired me to learn to play guitar. And he was always an important part of the band for me. Very often in our lives, when we lose something or someone, we realize how those people/things were important for us. When we have them, it seems natural and very often we do not appreciate them as much as they deserve. That’s what happened to me when it was announced on my birthday last year that Richie is going through hard times and probably will miss the European part of the tour. I will not repeat myself about that more and if you want to read more details about that feel free to read review of my Dublin shows. It’s all in there (http://drycounty.com/jovitalk/showthread.php?t=53224 ).

When I came back home after those shows, I realised how unbelievable that whole thing was. Some of you laughed it should have been a Hollywood script, and I agree it sounded like that, but it was life itself that has written it for me. Dreams are within our reach, we just have to fight for them. And mine happened to be directly related with Richie. His presence was the key in all this. Not Jon, even though he’s an undisputable leader of the band and a man I admire so much, as a musician and a person. Jon is the heart of the band for sure. But for me Richie has always been the soul. And I need both to have a complete mix of what BJ is all about.

As the weeks went by after the tour, there was not much going on in Jovi land and suddenly people over here started to mention about some rumors about Richie’s album. I couldn’t believe it is happening. Again, another of my dreams seemed to set for the take off. I felt this is the best moment for his new album. After all the ups and downs he’s been through in the last 10 years it was obvious to me he has a lot of things to write about. Seeing him in Dublin so fresh and energized, and most importantly healthy, was such a relief and it was all clear he’s back on the right track in his life. Reaching the bottom at some point in anyone’s life sometimes might be a good thing as it can only get better. That’s exactly what was happening back then to him. And just to close that chapter of his life he decided to let it all out as an artist, by giving us a new album and new songs, but I really believe deep down inside, most importantly giving himself a cure to erase those bad memories and move on.

As he was working on his new album, many things started to change in my life too. My company started to slow down, our long term agreements with some clients ended, and it was harder and harder to find new ones. Still enough to make a living but far less from what it’s been few years ago. Only few people over here know exactly what I do and I would like to keep it like that. I am not going to give too much details about my job as some of you might take it as some kind of advertisement. To make it short as possible, I (with the help of a friend that I run this with) organize trips and small events for groups from all over the world, that are coming to Poland, especially to my hometown. My biggest curse is that I work not only when everyone else during the weekdays do, but quite often when everyone else have their free time. People pay us for their hard earned vacation time to make it as best as possible. Responsibility is huge, and there is no time to rest. This is 24/7 kind of job. As we saw a huge decrease in enquiries we decided to give a try to a brand new product and we failed miserably. I personally was responsible for this part and I lost the game big time. I gave all my heart in this project and countless hours of work and preparations but it was all not enough. Still I don’t regret it. Just like Jon says, it’s always better to say “I did it and failed” instead of “would have, should have etc..”. Now we have learned a new lesson and maybe at some point the experience gained in this lost battle will let us find the way to some victory on a different level. So financially we are in a trying point, but thankfully this month of September turned out to be the best ever and hopefully we might be back on the right track again. But that also meant we had insanely lots of work to do. Several times I had to stay at the office until midnight or longer. Physically it was exhausting. I was on the edge of my human capabilities. I was drained mentally too. Too much stress, too much things on my head, too much of everything.

It has also affected my family life, as I couldn’t spend as much time with them as I would love too. Our daughter Natalie, who’s over 3 years old now, is growing up so fast but I missed so many great moments with her. Too many times I left home before she woke up and came back after she was already asleep. Same goes with the moments missed with my lovely wife. But hey, that’s life, I chose this path some time ago and now I have to live it and give my best. But for sure it’s not an easy road and sometimes this burden is too hard to bear.

In the meantime, Richie’s album leaked into the internet in June or July, but I decided not to listen to it, not even a single verse or note. Nothing. I wanted to hear it so much and I waited for it for so many years, but I felt it was not right to do it this way. I like to do it old style, like it was before internet, to have a real CD in my hands and play it with headphones on. To feel that excitement I had when I was a teenager with a brand new BJ album in my hands. But as the release date was being changed several times, my patience was pushed against the limits, but still I didn’t give up on my promise and waited for the official release.

As I was not sure whether the album will be on time in music shops here in Poland, I decided to buy it from the UK, on Amazon. I ordered it in pre-sale and it was shipped to me on 17th September. As I’ve said before we’ve had a really killing September and we served over 1000 people for sure this month alone. And the biggest events were scheduled for this past Friday and Sunday. I knew that after that my work marathon will finish and finally I will have much more time for my family and myself. But those 2 last events were the toughest ones, the hardest and most stressful part of this whole period.

And to give some extra fuel to this fire me and my wife had our wedding anniversary last Thursday. Unfortunately there was so much work to be done for those last events that I had to stay at the office until midnight again and couldn’t be with me my wife on that special day. That was it. I felt like total shit. I only managed to text her that I love her during the day, but I know it’s not even close to what I should have done for her. She understands my job really well and supports me in all of this, but still it was just too much. I felt I failed her, as a husband and a father of our daughter. But I couldn’t let those hundreds of people down and had to give them what they paid for the next day. There was no place for faults there.

And when I reached the bottom of fatigue, on Friday morning the album was delivered to me. I personally picked it before I left to work but I did not open it. I didn’t have enough time in the morning to give it a proper listen, so just left it for the evening. I spent whole day at that event, coordinating all the things for it, but I knew already that my long awaited reward is waiting for me at home. That gave me enough strength to survive the day and eventually it ended up very well and the client was very happy. I came back home at 10pm, after spending all day on my feet and under huge pressure, tired as hell, but not tired enough to finally hear the new songs.
I am really sorry for such a long introduction to my thoughts about the album itself, but all those things above are essential so you could understand how important it is for me.

After I took a shower I went to bed to give it a well deserved first listen. And now, here’s exactly why I restrained from listening to the leaked version of the album. There is no greater feeling from having a desired thing in your hands, after years of waiting. To open it and check the booklet inside, to have a real CD in your hands and listen the new baby for the first time, note by note, is just an unbelievable feeling. No pain, no gain. Patience has paid off. The things that we work the hardest for, taste the sweetest too. This is so true. Some might say it’s just a CD, it’s just some new music…well, for me it’s not “just”. It’s everything to me. Music is my biggest passion, always has been, and BJ music is even beyond that definition. And as I mentioned before, at this point of my road with BJ, Richie’s work was the one I anticipated the most. And here it was, finally in my hands, ready for the first listen. The timing of all this is beyond anything and you might call it a Hollywood script again, but I guess the main Director up above just enjoys giving me such roles.

My wife was waiting for me so we could hear it together. She heard all the songs before on YT weeks before, she didn’t want to wait like I did. Can’t blame her. Not everyone is as crazy as I am. We both lied down in bed, we both put headphones on, turned off the light, and played the album in total darkness and closed eyes. We were holding our hands along with it, without words, just squeezing it when we felt the song that was being played sounded great. It was a magical experience to me. To share such moments with her is the most important thing for me. She knew very well how important this album is for me and wanted to go through this with me. She’s my angel. Even after I missed our anniversary because of work the day before, she’s still right there next to me, sharing this moments with me, just like she was standing next to me on all BJ shows and the moment when DC was played in Dublin. For sure, this was the most magical first listen of any album in my life. After that first listen I couldn’t fall asleep and wanted more of those sounds and eventually listened to it until 3am non stop. I will remember that day and that moment for the rest of my life. Magic. Us. And Richie. Priceless moment.

So what do I think about the album? I think it’s pretty obvious by now that I think it’s absolutely AMAZING. Awesome. Fantastic. Whatever praising word that comes to your mind might be put in here. Months ago, I have written a post over here saying that I have a feeling this album will be epic. And for me it is, at least a big part of it is. My God, this album bursts with passion, with energy, with soul, with heart, with love, with amazing guitars, with solos and jamming, with fantastic vocals, with unbelievable melodies. It has actually surprised me how great it is. I would have never thought (and I have lots of faith in me) that Richie still had so much brilliance inside of him. Such a diverse album, from beautiful ballads to powerful rockers. I actually like all the songs on it but I will just concentrate on a few now, the ones that I think are absolutely EPIC, note by note, and make this album worth every single cent and even more. My TOP3 was set right after first listen and it hasn’t changed after dozens of listens now, and I don’t think it will ever change. Here they are:

SEVEN YEARS GONE – my absolute favourite. I’ve read all of you praising it so much over here and I was so curious is it really that good. The moment I heard the piano at the beginning of the song, it immediately hit the deepest part of my soul. In a second. After few seconds I knew it will be great and the more it went further the more I loved it. The lyrics of the first verses have made me cry right away. I’ve been going through a lot of changes, pain and stress in the last couple of months and this song is exactly the answer for all my worries and problems. Unbelievable. It gives me something I haven’t experienced with any song. So far, every time I hear it, it makes me wanna cry. And every time it blocks my throat and can’t even try to sing it. The crucial moment is always this part “You wake up, move on!!!” So simple, yet so hard at the same time. The lyrics are AWESOME. Exactly the kind of lyrics I needed to hear at this moment of my life. But lyrics is one thing and music is another. Chorus is amazing and the melody throughout the song is so beautiful. I love how this song changes from soft ballad to power rock song , back and forth, with amazing solos at the end, how piano flows perfectly with guitars. And vocals are so incredibly high. Richie sounds fantastic in it. I could praise it for hours. I can easily say that it’s one of the best songs written not only by Richie but also compared to any bands work. My fav song by Richie has always been “Ballad of Youth” but actually I start to think that this one might push it to the second spot, or at least share the spot on equal terms, which I thought will never happen. It’s just a mix of those lyrics that I can relate to so much, and absolutely fantastic music and vocals that makes it a killer song. Can’t find the word neither in my language nor in English. Perfect. Epic. Or more.

YOU CAN ONLY GET SO HIGH – definitely the most personal song on the album. The lyrics are so honest, insanely honest. With this song we are going to the deepest part of Richie’s soul. It takes a lot of courage to write such a song. And the music…oh my…that piano at the beginning is just killing. Just like with SYG, immediately I knew that it will be a masterpiece. This is my wife’s fav song and she’s been playing it for weeks (but not when I was around) before the album’s official release and was just teasing with me “You’re gonna love it too”. And she was so right. “You can only get so high, then you gotta come down”… such a cruel truth. I admire Richie he had all the courage to write it. I guess this was the most cathartic song for him. The rehab was the first chapter of this book and this song was the last one, that sealed his addiction problems for good, and I wish him that from the bottom of my heart. Musically it’s a killer, the melody is absolutely fantastic, beautiful, spiritual I might say. And clear Richie’s vocals are just a perfect summary for all that. The whole truth told by the man himself. Bows to Richie for this song. Another Epic song on the album. Nothing short of magic.

I’LL ALWAYS WALK BESIDE YOU – this was the first song that gave me chills on the first listen of the album (before SYG and YCOGSH, of course, which followed shortly after that). It is clear it was written with passion and love. We know it was written for his daughter but it’s just a beautiful love song that anyone can relate too. Actually this is the one I dedicate to my wife and my daughter. When I heard the chorus the first time it made me cry too. The line “I’ll be there to help you make it through” is about my lovely wife. No matter how shit my job is sometimes, how stressful, tiring etc, she’s always right there by my side supporting me. Just the thought that I know she’s always right behind my back watching over me to help me get through any storm is the most comforting thing I have, and I wish that to everyone else in the world. I also love the line “I will sing you home”, such a great line. Sing you home. Absolutely beautiful. Musically I love how this song builds up. With quite slow start, to flourish at the end. Simple acoustic guitar mixed with Richie’s clear vocals sounds perfect. Honesty I think this is the best love song after 2000 or even since “Always” by both Richie or the band. I really do. I am so glad Richie has Ava in his life. As I have a daughter myself too, I can relate to anything he writes there too. A Father-Daughter kind of love is a very special one. For me it’s clear this song has been written with passion and out of pure love. That’s why it is so amazing. Because it’s so sincere and honest. Straight from the heart. Simply beautiful. For me epic.

Those 3 songs alone for me make this album better than Undiscovered Soul already. I really do. I am not sure if it’s enough to beat Stranger, but for sure it’s very close behind. The thing that is common for all three songs is that on all of them we have Richie’s clear voice, without any effects on it. I have to say I don’t like those effects on some of the songs and it’s one of the very few faults of the album, but thankfully on those we have pure Richie. The colour and tone of his voice is different to Jon’s and sometimes I really wonder which one I love more. That roughness in his voice makes it so special and even though he can’t sing in the same range as Jon does, still it gives him that special “something”.

As for all the other songs, well I love them all or at least like them very much. There isn’t a single song I truly don’t like. Really. Not because it’s Richie, but because I really think they are very good. Just as I think The Circle is one of the best albums by the band while most of you think it’s crap. Those are perfect for me. Simple as that.

‘Burn That Candle Down’ is a great rocker. Very interesting guitar plays. I admit it’s almost impossible to understand the lyrics because of the effects on vocals, but I don’t care much about that. Very strong start of the album with a huge rock kick.

‘Every Road’ is the only song I knew before the album release. I downloaded in on Richie’s BDay from his website, which was given to us fans as a gift. I have to say I loved it from the very beginning. I think it was a good choice for a leading single. Love the lyrics to it and I can relate to them very much. This song was enough for me to wait for the new album and restrain from leaked songs.

‘Taking a chance on the wind’ is a very good optimistic song. I love the guitar work on ‘Nowadays’ although it’s another one where Richie’s voice is so distorted by effects one can barely hear it it’s actually him. But apart from that it’s a great rocker and I really enjoy it.

‘Weathering the Storm’ is an amazing song with fantastic lyrics and great chorus. One of the favourites on the album.

‘Sugar Daddy”’, well, I admit lyrics are far from brilliant, but i think it’s meant to be a sarcastic song a bit. It reminds my a bit of ‘We Got It Goin’ On’ and that’s exactly what is is for me. A good rock song, that is supposed to be fun, not make you think too much. The line “don’t give a shit about me” is a proof for that.

‘Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing’ is fantastic. Such a powerful rock song, full of energy and amazing solos. I love that anger in the vocals too.

‘World’ is a very good album closer. It reminds me of a ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles. I like the lyrics very much actually. Very subtle finish of a great album.

‘Backseat Driver’, my version of the album does not include it, but I downloaded it from iTunes right away. Japanese version was just too expensive for me and eventually I decided to buy a regular version and buy this one separately. And I am actually very surprised with this song. It is a great rock song with amazing guitars and solos, catchy chorus, and also cool lyrics.

And actually there is one more, after reading posts by people over here I also found ‘Forgiveness Street’ on the net and downloaded it too. I have to say I am shocked it hasn’t been put on the album. Shocked. This song is a masterpiece. I think it’s just right behind my Top3. Melody fits the lyrics perfectly. That subtle guitars in the background build such an unique atmosphere, that you feel like you are walking along the streets of that city in the middle of the night, that is just a metaphor of a wounded love. The chorus is just absolutely beautiful and lyrics are perfect. Vocals are also very clear and sound great. This song has a soul. Magical.

So far I have listened to the whole album a dozen times probably and my TOP3 five times more. I don’t think I will be bored with it ever. This album has found me in the most accurate time of my life. I don’t think it’s a coincidence I restrained from hearing it months ago. Given all the ups and downs I had to go through in the last couple of months, I appreciate it more I think. It’s kind of my cure for the bad times and a promise for a better tomorrow. Just like it was for Richie I guess. It seems I needed this album as much as he needed it for himself. This album made my bond with Richie as an artist even stronger. For me Richie is almost like a second father. He’s only 2 years younger than my real father actually. The band has been with me since I was 12, so for 20 years now and their songs have given me so much through my whole life. Moreover Richie’s family comes from Poland, which kind of makes us blood brothers. I am really proud of that fact. I know he was born in America and that he is a 100% American, but his roots played a certain part in his legacy too, thanks to his father, that was so dear to him.

On one side, I wish this album would have never happened because all the subjects that made it happen was written by Richie’s pain and struggles in real life. He’s experienced so much in the last 15 years, mostly downs. At this point of my life I am exactly on the opposite side of the river, and I am so grateful to God for that. I am the happiest man on earth having my lovely wife and daughter by my side. They are my world and by biggest treasure. I also have amazing parents that are still with me and have always been a great support for me. Richie did not have so much luck and he lost so many things I have for good. I wish he could find a true love again. I always thought it would be good for him and Heather to go back to each other. They seemed to be a really great couple, that just got lost somewhere on Forgiveness Street of their lives. Lately on Howard Stern show, he said it is not an option so if that’s really true, I wish him a new love, that would give him new wings.

On the other side, all those troubles only made him stronger and maybe he needed to learn this lesson. And I am so happy he has such a great relationship with Ava and that they love each other so much. Like I said, a father’s love is a strong one too and Ava alone might give him enough of shining light and colours in his life, and make up for lost love. She’s a blessing for him for sure. And it’s great to see he’s aware of that and is a great father to her and receives that love back from her.

Of course the album has some minor faults. Like I’ve said before I don’t like all those effects on his vocals. His pure voice sounds so much better and doesn’t need any of this. I am also a bit disappointed there were no lyrics in the booklet on the European version of the album. It helps a lot to learn and understand the songs meaning, especially for non native speakers like me. And thirdly I don’t like the cover that much too. It seems too simple. I love the photo that is on the inside cover, where Richie’s face is reflecting in the window. That would have been a better front cover for me. But it’s not really what’s outside that’s important. The songs are great and full of soul and that’s all that counts.

I think the only thing I could add is that I can’t wait for the tour, to hear all those new songs live along with some old gems from previous albums. Richie is in such a great shape I am sure those shows will be amazing. So far I have tickets only for the show in Berlin. I am going there with my wife and 2 of my friends that I used to play with in the band years ago. They have never seen BJ live and this will a first glimpse of that for them. I am sure this will be a great trip for us and a memory of a lifetime. But I am still thinking whether I should by some more tix on Ebay or not, very tempting, very. Although very expensive for me too.

I will leave you with something quite personal. I think this is the right moment to share this with you all here. A couple of days after I downloaded ‘Every Road’ in July, I recorded myself playing and singing it. Like I said I love this song and it is such a great tune to play at home on acoustic guitar. So far only a couple of my closest friends have seen it and this video was set to private for months. But now I am not afraid to show it to more people. I was never a lead singer and just sing for myself at home, so don’t expect a stunning vocals from me. My journey with my band stopped several years ago and I play very rarely now, only at home. Like once a month or less. But actually I can’t wait to play the new album. I always give a new album few days before I sit down and play it myself. After the songs are well settled in my head it’s much easier. But always after I know how to play it, I love the songs even more. That’s how it’s always been with BJ music. And this time will be the same, have no doubts about it. I already hear the chords in the back of my head and can’t wait to finally play Seven Years Gone, Walk beside you or You Can Only Get So High. Just like the rest of the album too. Hopefully on the weekend I will.
So here it is, my rendition of ‘Every Road Leads Home To You’, raw and fully acoustic. Hope you like it: http://youtu.be/koAVltIPdVU

Richie, if you read it someday somehow, I would like to thank you for this amazing album. Now I know why you are so proud of it. It shows your genius and artistry in guitar playing and singing but also passion and emotions that are living in your heart and soul. Exactly in this moment of your life. Not 20 years ago, not 10, but now. That’s what I wanted to hear. Thanks for sharing this with us. I hope one day I will be able to shake your hand and thank you for all your work personally. One can dream, but you never know…you never know

Oh boy. Honestly, no offence or anything but - I'm sure if Richie or Jon released a recording of him taking a crap you would somehow find a way to call it a masterpiece.

Very good review and I can see where you are coming from with your love for this album. I don't feel the same about this record, but in some way it reminds me of why The Circle meant so much to me.

Good read.

Some people really need to grow up. Kuba just poured his heart and soul and made himself very vulnerable by sharing; you know what guts that took to do? especially on here............

Exactly, serious and honest discussions are almost unheard of here these days.

Thanks for the serious review though. Personally, I like the album and I love individual songs but not the entire album. That doesn't mean that something doesn't "speak" to you differently that it does to me. All our backgrounds and experiences are different which is why we respond differently to different music.

I'm glad that Richie is reaching a whole bunch of people.

I like your cover of ''Every Road..'' very much, you have a good voice!

andi

Father Time is the best song.

Come on, man. Sure, it may be wordy and your opinion may differ, but Kuba took the time to type this up and wanted to share it on a Bon Jovi community. Despite you saying "no offense", there still was no need for that.