Hmm, no, sounds too much like anything on WAN to me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely f*cking love the song, and the riff fits, but others would've done, too ;-)

I'm glad we both agree that we love this song. I'm not trying to make a claim that it possesses some sort of orginal riff. I dig it for feeling more atmospheric while remaining simplistic. Nothing fancy...I find that it sets up and finishes the 2016 type of Bon Jovi song just right.

That we can agree on :-)

Video for God Bless This Mess tomorrow. The snippet on the band's facebook page looks awesome.

This one looks interesting. Definitely brings up the Sambora split, we'll see if that's throughout or just an example of a mess.

Definitely looking forward to seeing this one tomorrow.
Serious question for fans with strong opinions either way on THINFS.
Should I feel sorry for the longtime fans who strongly dislike this new album or does this mean I should begin questioning my own personal music taste after 43 years in this world? ;)

I think it would be a shame to let the opinions of others cause you to question your own taste in music. I hope the *wink* means you were kidding about that.

But why feel sorry for people whose tastes differ from yours? Wouldn't it be easier to simply acknowledge that musical preferences are subjective and that people will rarely agree on what constitutes "good" music?

Like what you like, with no need for apology or explanation; and accept the opinions of others as just that - opinions.

You might want to take this particular opinion with a grain of salt, though, since I rarely have a strong negative reaction to music of any kind. I tend to like everything from The Chipmunks to Chopin; and that would include THINFS - and almost everything else in the BJ catalog. ;)

I was kidding.
I get your point here. I agree that we should refrain from demeaning or criticizing someone just because they may not agree with our taste/opinion.
I've been guilty of that myself.
Sometimes though if someone's strong opinion is factually wrong than it becomes ridiculous.
I'm more like you in that I do dig everything from classical music to metal, broadway musicals to hip-hop jazz. I understood the criticism of WAN. Just find it hard to fathom that many Jovi fans don't embrace this album more for where the band is in 2017.

Ridiculous it may be, but even an opinion based on faulty reasoning is still just an opinion. :)

From most critical comments I've read about this album (or any other, for that matter), I get the impression that people have certain expectations going in - before they hear a song or an album - about what they are hoping it will sound like. If it isn't what they expect to hear, they think the artist didn't give it their best shot or they copied someone else or they were chasing a hit or ... whatever explanation justifies to them why it isn't what they wanted, or thought it would be.

I first noticed it in comments about AOTL, when I read stuff like, "I thought Richie wanted the freedom to do what he wanted. It's clear that Jon wasn't holding him back, because this album doesn't rock any harder than anything Jovi has done" or similar criticisms. While it's true that the album may not be any more "rock" than stuff he did with the band, it's the premise that could be the problem, not his music.

The assumption, in this example, seemed to be that Richie wanted the freedom to "rock", and as a result, some fans were disappointed in the album and thought Richie was just lazy or didn't have the chops anymore. But, iirc, what Richie said was that he wanted the freedom to express himself in the way he wanted, in a way that he couldn't do when he was restricted to writing or recording only that which Jon could give feel or give voice to. And I think that's exactly what he did, regardless of whether it "rocked" or not.


In the same way, I think ppl expected more from THINFS because they thought it would be filled with anger or true gut reactions (similar to their own) and that it might possibly be the best thing they've done to date, if for no other reason than Jon would be hell bent on proving that he doesn't need Richie. When it didn't meet their own expectations - whatever they were - they were set up to be somewhat disappointed.

Someone posted, on another thread I think, that BJ is like every other band. They released 4 or 5 "great" albums and everything else is "okay" at best (paraphrased).

Whether that is true or not, it seems to me that it has more to do with the fans' expectations than it does with the band's output. It's like they want the band to stay true to themselves and maintain that recognizable 'sound' - so don't stray too far; but they also want something new and fresh - so don't stay too close to home, either. It's kind of a catch-22. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

This isn't meant to offend anyone, and I don't have particular posts in mind. It's just a general observation and obviously just my opinion. But that's the way it looks from where I sit anyway.

It shouldn't offend anyone.
Really solid, objective-thinking observations.
Personally, I have never dialed into whether or not I would enjoy a Jovi track because of how friggin' rockin' it is.
It has always been about their songwriting and uncanny ability to twist melodic chords into something I have consistently found, simplistically-brilliant.