I agree 100% with Seb analysis,except IMO,it was not since Crush,but since Bounce that the songs arent there anymore.
Bon Jovi,as a band,changed since HAND,since John Shanks is in the organization,since they were not 5 guys on stage anymore,since they didnt sound in any record as a band anymore.
For me,Bounce and its tour,were the last time Bon Jovi were the Bon Jovi we all loved.

And I have to disgree with jovifan93 and his love for The Circle album.
For me its their worst album ever.
They try in almost the whole record,to repeat or copy his own old hits or another artists songs.
Just to mention a few:
Working Man reminds to Prayer,Bullet to Faith,Born to Follow to Born to be my baby,Learn to love is a try to rewrite his own Hallellujah,Brokenpromiseland is a copy and paste of a Coldplay song,etc
To my that is the problem with that album.just the opposite as you said,the lack of creativity,sincerity and overall,the lack of good songs.
They had nothing to say with that album.
Appart from,for me,the worst John Shanks production on a Bon Jovi album ever
It lacks of the atmosphere you mention,it seems like a computer album,the songs dont walk,I dont know if Im explaining well.
It is like if you try to put all the songs in a washing machine and then released them.
Bullet is a clear example of what Im trying to say,the production destroys the song(appart from not being a good song..)