I listened to this song a few times trying to give it a fair shot in hopes that it had some quality which the entire "2020" album was lacking. That album was the second worst thing to come upon the world in 2020, so this single didn't really have to work hard to be good.
Unfortunately, as soon as they revealed the title "Legendary" after Music Cares, I figured it would be a tired, cliched (isn't everything being referred to as "legendary" these days?), generic half-effort, and that's exactly what we've been given.
They have a perfectly capable and talented band of musicians in this band, but somehow they all sound blurred and buried in the mix where none of them stand out. The entire song just reeks of an eagerness to be done and over with. Why is Phil X in this band when Shanks can easily fulfill the role of a mediocre guitarist? Why is Tico playing the same tired drum licks since "Crush"? (For all you RS loyalists, this is still exactly what we'd be getting if he was still in the band. He hasn't exactly done anything since he left).
My least favorite part in this cycle is that they named the new album "Forever", with a picture of Jon in a coat reminiscent of the New Jersey era on the cover - a picture-perfect definition of a band riding its past. I will certainly buy the album when it's out and I will give it a fair spin just like I did with the last 4-5 turds they produced, but if "Legendary" is any indication of the next record then I can safely assume that it will be just another assembly-line Non-Jovi record, or alternatively "Bon Jovi & Friends" as I've been referring to everything released under the Bon Jovi moniker since circa 2007.
I'm happy for the band being happy with where they are now. They still have one thing going for them and that's their ability to keep my attention even though they've been disappointing for the better part of the last two decades now. I hope they get to tour again and end it all on a high note at some point. Whatever happens next, I know this next tour will be the only time we'll ever have to sit through "Legendary" live.
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Life-long Jovist, Purist, Critic
My Bon Jovi Album Ranking: These Days, SWW, KTF, Jersey, Crush, 7800F, Bridges, HAND, Bon Jovi, Bounce, WAN, Circle, THINFS, LH, 2020;
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