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Bon Jovi
From the opener, "Runaway," which rode to glory on Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band-mate Roy Bittan's distinctive keyboard riff, to the sweaty arena rock of "Get Ready," which closes the album, Bon Jovi's debut is an often-overlooked minor gem from the heyday of hair metal. The songs may be simple and the writing prone to all the clichés of the form, but the album boasts a pretty consistent hard rock attack, passionate playing, and a keen sense of melody. The prominence David Bryan's (he was David Rashbaum on the credits) keyboards get on this record is an indicator, perhaps, that Bon Jovi had more than a passing interest in the pop market, which was then dominated by new wave and synth pop. Mixing Journey-like '70s rock ("She Don't Know Me") with shout-along stadium anthems ("Love Lies"), Bon Jovi showcases a hot young band who is hungry for the big time, doing what they did best. It may not be the most noteworthy of debuts, but Bon Jovi has a contagious sense of energy and an endearing romanticism that mark it as a classic in its own right.

- Authored by Leslie Mathew

7800 Fahrenheit
The band's 1985 sophomore effort was slammed by critics upon release, but showed considerable growth in songwriting and playing. It was their first gold record and their last album before entering superstardom with the follow-up, Slippery When Wet. Highlights include "In and Out of Love" and "Hardest Part of the Night."

- Authored by David Jehnzen

Slippery When Wet
It is probably true that Bon Jovi's breakthrough success with Slippery When Wet, their third album, had more to do with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi's mop of curls and winning smile than with anything in the grooves of the record. Nevertheless, the album contained competent contemporary pop/rock, from its Eddie Van Halen-inspired guitar solos to the singer's enthusiastic, husky wail (which owed a lot to Bruce Springsteen). Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, and songwriter-for-hire Desmond Child had little more on their minds than girls and rock-as-mythology (even the working-class anthem "Livin' on a Prayer" featured a character who was forced to hock his "six string"), but that may only mean they had identified their audience -- young white adolescent males -- and were targeting it accurately.

- Authored by William Ruhlmann

New Jersey
Bon Jovi had perfected a formula for hard pop/rock by the time of this album, concentrating on sing-along choruses sung over and over again, frequently by a rough, extensively overdubbed chorus, producing an effect not unlike what these songs sounded like in the arenas and stadiums where they were most often heard. The lyrics had that typical pop twist -- although they nominally expressed romantic commitment, sentiments such as "Lay Your Hands on Me" and "I'll Be There for You" worked equally well as a means for the band and its audience to reaffirm their affection for each other. The only thing that marred the perfection of this communion was Jon Bon Jovi's continuing obsession with a certain predecessor from his home state; at times, he seemed to be trying to recreate Born to Run using cheaper materials.

- Authored by William Ruhlmann

Keep The Faith
After being missing in action for nearly four years, Bon Jovi returns with Keep the Faith, an update on their trademark pop-metal sound. Because the rules had changed since New Jersey, the band knew they had to shake things up a bit. Bon Jovi wants to be taken seriously this time around -- hence, epics like the ten-minute "Dry County" and stabs at significance like "Fear" (plus the new short haircuts). Most of these grand statements fall flat, but there are songs here ("Bed of Roses," "Keep the Faith") that nearly match the glory days.

- Authored by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cross Road
While Bon Jovi always managed to stick a couple of killer album tracks on their records, their main strength has always been singles. Cross Road collects all of their biggest hits, adding a couple of new songs and Jon Bon Jovi's solo hit, "Blaze of Glory," for good measure. Even the band's detractors may not be able to resist the constant flow of big guitars, big hooks, and sweet melodies that pour out on Cross Road. After all, this is what state-of-the-art mainstream hard rock was all about in the late '80s.

- Authored by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

These Days
With These Days, Bon Jovi firmly established themselves as an adult contemporary act. They still have their fair share of rockers, but they seem half-hearted and incomplete. Instead, the band sounds the most comfortable with love ballads and working class anthems, from hits "This Ain't a Love Song" and "Lie to Me" to the acoustic "Diamond Ring." In fact, as the years go by, Bon Jovi gets musically stronger. Not only are their best songs stronger now, their playing is more accomplished. Keeping these improvements in mind, it's no surprise that the group was one of the few pop-metal bands to sustain a career in the mid-'90s.

- Authored by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Crush
Even if it was classified as pop-metal, Bon Jovi never really was much of a metal band, relying on big, catchy melodies and not guitar riffs to make their songs memorable. That's why, in 2000, they're able to make an album like Crush, which strays far enough into pop/rock to actually stand a chance of getting airplay (which it did, with the hit lead single "It's My Life"). The guitar crunch on the uptempo numbers keeps Bon Jovi from becoming a full-fledged pop/rock band, but in addition to the typical hard rockers, there are nods to heartland rock, Bryan Adams-style adult contemporary balladry ("Thank You for Loving Me"), the Beatles (the surprisingly effective "Say It Isn't So"), and even British glam à la T. Rex or David Bowie ("Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars"). Occasionally, it sounds like the band is attempting to cover as many bases as possible for multi-format appeal, but for the most part, the variety -- coupled with the consistently polished songcraft -- makes for a surprisingly listenable album. The production is a little more electronic-tinged, but not obtrusively high-tech, so the band doesn't come off as desperate to sound contemporary. Aside from a couple of missteps (the soppy, aforementioned "Thank You for Loving Me" and the mawkish posturing of "Save the World"), Crush is a solidly crafted mainstream rock record that's much better than most might expect. Even if Crush is more measured than Bon Jovi's early work, "Just Older" sums up the band's acceptance of their status nicely: "The skin I'm in is all right with me/It's not old, just older."

- Authored by Steve Huey

One Wild Night live 1985-2001
Diehard Bon Jovi fans will swear on their sacred Slippery When Wet albums that Bon Jovi is by far one of the best rock bands to sing (or scream) along to, no matter where you are - in the car, on the road, or in your room, crooning into your hairbrush or anything you can get your hands on. Bon Jovi: One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 is the perfect album for fans and newcomers alike, as it features a plentiful bounty of the band's biggest hits and most-screamable tunes. Set against the backdrop of the roars and accolades of their adoring fans at concerts across the world, the songs on this live album become even bigger hits that blast right out of your speakers, making you feel like you're part of the action. The opening track, "It's My Life," starts the Wild Night album off right, with Jon Bon Jovi singing what could be considered the band's credo: "It's my life/it's now or never/I ain't gonna live forever," as the band rocks on around him. The classic Bon Jovi tune, "Livin' On A Prayer" may be addictive enough for you to hurt your vocal chords, but Jovi pulls off the 1986 tune (from the Slippery When Wet album) seemingly without effort, working the crowd into a frenzy. Guitarist Richie Sambora struts his stuff on the live recording of "You Give Love A Bad Name" from the band's 2000 show in Zurich, Switzerland. The New York City recording of "Keep the Faith" will kick your speakers in the ass the way the band did as they nearly wore out the wild crowd at their 2000 show. The album also features a live recording of the band's popular ballad, "Something to Believe In," from their show in Japan and one of the band's coolest bad songs eva, "Wanted Dead or Alive." The crowd went nuts at the live recording of "Bad Medicine," as the band played one of the tightest sets on the album, where everyone in the band sounded like they were on fire.

- Authored by Kerry L. Smith

Bounce
Given that Bon Jovi successfully pulled off a comeback in 2000 with Crush, a shiny pop album pitched directly at the mainstream, it's kind of a surprise that they returned two years later with a record as turgid as Bounce. Instead of continuing the colorful blueprint of Crush, they fearlessly backpedal, turning out dull, heavy, serious rock -- the kind of music that sound "serious" even when it's about trivial things. Of course, much of the record is given over to "serious" topics, as if the band felt that the events of 2001 necessitated a grave response for Bounce, regardless of what they were singing. Such sobriety would not have been a problem if the band had solid material, but they're not only lacking songs, they've inexplicably altered their musical approach. In particular, guitarist Richie Sambora sounds as if he's aping James Hetfield's lumbering downstrokes throughout the album, giving the record an oppressively heavy sound that never lets the music breathe. This casts a pall over the record, but this stumble is not the sole reason Bounce is such a misstep for the band. After all, this is a record where Bon Jovi seems to have consciously decided to avoid everything that gives their music character, melody, and muscle, a move that would have been odd at any point during their career, but is particularly puzzling after they delivered an album that found them growing old gracefully. It's as if they want to undo everything Crush did for them.

- Authored by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

As much as I dislike the review from OWN, as much as I like the review from Bounce.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan