I'd simply be happy if this album has any proper topics other than "mostly observations" like cats in trees and pretzel men wearing gucci glasses and the state of the economy...

My hot take: I'm fine with lyrics like that because it takes some sort of creativity. The juxtaposition of low income earners wearing expensive glasses isn't a shit observation where as slapping together positive cliches is just lazy. It comes down to performance as well. Honestly In These Arms lyrics aren't great but he sings the hell out of that. If it takes digital editing to get him to that point and it's too obvious it's very hard to get into it.

THINFS had a bunch of songs with vocal takes that sounded so manipulated and kind of distorted, I fear we'll get an entire album of songs with his voice in that state because we know how he sounds live now.

No Shanks?

Yeah he was in the right corner

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I think if we're going to be wildly speculative the best thing to take from that pan is that Phil seems very much to be positioned as lead guitarist - Shanks is off to the side, guitar, yes, but also producer. Phil lead, Shanks colour and I think we'd all be ok with that.


The other positive thing is that Shanks doesn't seem to have said anything about writing with Jon - doesn't mean it hasn't happened but if Jon's bringing a bunch of scrappy self-made demos to this it looks like Dave, Tico, Hugh and Phil at the centre of the creative process.

Lastly, and this is being both wildly speculative and wildly assumptive since Phil is constantly excited about everything, Phil's tweet about day one was very upbeat. We all want a rock record - and given his preferred output if he really is happy about it then it's going to rock. That one song is anyway.

Shanks has posted before on his instagram that he was writing with JBJ for this new album...

One thing I can't stand in general is BOREDOM... so all I'm asking to JBJ and Captain_jovi is that things need to be fun... lol.

As MUCH fun as We Got It Going On and I Love This Town or I'll Sleep When I'm Dead are? :rolleyes:

Or real fun? :D

Maybe my concept of "fun" is way too "wild" for you lol, 'cause the songs you mentioned make me literally "sleep" at concerts... and I know you were ironic, hihih.

Got to say totally agree with you on the lyrics Matt. I'd rather have some weird lyrics than something that has been repeated over and over.

Shanks yet again :mad:
that guy ruined Bon Jovi. Not his fault, he was hired to do his job and he's done a good job as a whole. But he's ruined BJ. Period.