Amazon review
 

Amazon.co.uk Review
As much as Jon Bon Jovi would like to consider himself the next Springsteen, he isn't, and the thought of a Bon Jovi record in any way being influenced by the attacks of September 11 is too horrific a prospect to contemplate. Luckily, on Bounce, the references are kept in the background and the album is neither overtly melancholy nor directly poignant. It follows 2000's disappointing Crush--an album that, with just one single, managed to keep their flame alive in the context of modern rock music by revisiting a style that they'd been trying to get away from since "Livin' on a Prayer". Here, they try to move on from this again, but unlike 1991's Keep the Faith, they can't quite pull it off.
The album has, however, a distinct and deliberately contemporary feel--power chords instead of endless Sambora guitar noodling. The opener, "Undivided", hammers this point home, and "The Distance" and first single "Everyday" tell you that Bon Jovi can compete with the upstarts. The polar opposites of these are old-style tracks--the Jovi/Sambora cowboy partnership of "Right Side of Wrong" and, yes, the token ballads--none of which compare to "Bed of Roses" or "Always". If the band could produce an album as contemporary, slick and just plain good as Jon Bon Jovi's second solo offering, Destination Anywhere, then their future would be assured. More mature, sophisticated and modern than Crush, it will galvanise their slowly declining position for a while longer. It's a disappointment, of course, but a pleasantly surprising one. --Ben Johncock

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Thanks for posting - Shows that critics reviews r just an opinion. - I know many BJ fans who don't like Jons Destination Anywhere that much. Also - How can they be slowly declining if it is better than Crush??

Still - could have been worse.

Mike

How was Crush a Dissapointment??
Did He mean by sales or the album itself??
still , Everything the critics like I dont so...

[quote="Mike"] You're right. I could use colorful metaphors and advertise myself as a critic, but I would really only be givivng my opinion on what I like and dislike. I don't pay attention to critics. I rarely ever agree with them anyway.

Good point! haha!


KTF!

I think the reviewer was referring to their popularity.

And if he does i think he's right.
I think there are some more true things in that review:

He took the words right out of my mouth!

Also my opinion!

Everyone's a critic...(Ben Johncock?LOL) Agree with the comment about Crush, that is my least favorite Jovi release.

I like Richie's guitar noodling.

Whatever! :roll:

can't imagine that he's a guitar player :-)
but though i can understand some points in his critics- there's no successor of always or bed of roses- and i acclaim his statement about crush :-) the album is a big disapointment but it has sold again 8 mio. albums because of ONE single track... the problem with bounce is that there's no IML on it- so it's by far a better album but i wagor my life that it won't sell as much copies as crush did- because crush had this song called IML- and bounce doesn't :-) sorry for running in circles *g*- they obviously don't want to put out undivided as a single- which would be probably a big hit- the other song which would gain also a lot popularity is imho bounce- but it seems that they put out misunderstood and all about loving you- misunderstood will probably make a top ten "hit" but all about loving you will gain as much success as thank you for loving... NO success at all... it's a hard time for ballads right now- people don't want to buy ballads- and if so they have to have sth. special, sth. new- and all about loving you can't compete with underneath your clothes at all unfortunately...
there's another point i agree with him and i fear that i dislike this one as much as you will: the thing with bj have already reached their top in popularity- and if they don't do sth. real special real soon- then i fear that they play in front of 20,000 people in europe within a few years, and within a few more years, they'll play in front of 10,000.... the problem is not that they are gettin weaker- the problem is that there are so many other artists and so many different styles of music which attract more and more and more people so that being a "rock" fan- meaning being a bj fan will become sth. real "strange" by the time... that doesn't mean that they should make hiphop- actually i don't know what they should do when i say that they should do sth special & new... it's up to them!

ktf!

I actually think it's a good review. I may not agree with his every word but he has some good points. And this review is a real review. Compare this one with the Rolling Stone review. I think this guy is not a Bon Jovi detestor. I've read his other reviews and he seems to be an open-minded music fan. And he is right in one the guys need only one record to secure their future. Bounce is probably not that record but it gives them more time to make that record.

I am going to add to my post. By securing their future I basically mean becoming the next the Rolling Stones. When people fill stadiums for as long as they tour. And hopefully take records with the name Bon Jovi on them to the top of the charts long after the artist is gone. Think Elvis Presly. I want this kind of future for Bon Jovi. Not just the rock legend status. Is that possible? I hope so.

"To secure their future"

Does that sound weird to anyone else? Hell, with 100 million album sales and a solid track-record, what's there to secure? They're a living legend already.

But yes, this review is quite good actually. I mean it is definitely better than most Bounce reviews so far. The only thing that really would make me trust this man's opinion is the fact that he thinks Destination Anywhere is a good record. Uh-huh. Of course, it's just his opinion (as is mine) but still. Ah well. :)