[Krycek]

I was a bit surprised to see that many people in the "Crush" thread said that they disliked "Bounce" even more, so I thought it was worth giving it it's own thread.

As I said before, I really like Crush but I think Bounce is a vastly better album, it's definitely a much harder rock and roll album then Crush and although it certainly has it's faults I thinks it's a damn fine album.

Undivided - Absolutely incredible song. Lyrically amazing, Jon's vocals are terrific, nice heavy guitars from Richie and a good driving beat from Tico. This is probably the most anthemic song they've written since LOAP. Awesome live aswell. 5/5

Everyday - I can't believe this wasn't a bigger hit. It's a really kick-ass quick, edgy rock song. Lyrically it's amazing, I love the guitar riff but I've never seen the whole "It's My Life: Part II" thing. This is a much harder, much more agressive song then IML, and I just think it's an amzingly good song. 5/5

The Distance - Excellent song this one. A bit of a different sound to the typical Bon Jovi sound, I really like it, drags somewhat at the end and Richies amazing solo certainly should have been included but all round another great song. This one should've been a single too. 4.5/5

Joey - I adore this song, I know I'll probably get slughtered for saying that but I really do . I love the story, I love the piano in it, I love Jon's vocal, I think it's a really amazing Elton John'ish type of song. The strings help aswell. 5/5

Missunderstood - This a really cool little song, brilliantly written, catchy as hell. It may be somewhat poppy but so what! Not every song has to be all-out-rock and this make a great change of pace. Superb song, should never have been released as a single though. 5/5

All About Loving You - Oh dear. Do big ballads come any cheesier or less heartfelt? This song lacks everything thatmakes songs like Bed of Roses or This Aint a Love Song so good. It seems to me that Jon felt a ballad had to be on a Bon Jovi record and came up with this slush. I will say though, it's not without it's charm and I really like the way Jon belts out the lyrics before the guitar solo. Still, it all feels to manufactured. 2.5/5

Hook Me Up - Another great rock song and another slight departure for Bon Jovi. Kinda has a Linkin Park flavour to it. Richies guitars so amazing, and I really don't understand why they don't play this live that often. I think it's so much better live, Jons vocals are gruffer and stroger live and mixed with Richies it sounds awesome. Would've been a good single. 5/5

Right Side Of Wrong - Love the title and proof that Jon is still a classy story-teller. Sure it's a bit slow in parts and could've been tightened up but I think that's more down to what a shoddy producer Luke Ebbin is. Lyrically it's very clever and very mature and it also contains the only proper guitar solo on the album. 4.5/5

Love Me Back To Life - This ones grown on me alot. Lyrically again, it's very good, musically it's pretty excellent despite the resemblence at times to The Distance. I think Jon gives one of his best vocal performances on this song too. 4.5/5

You Had Me From Hello - The cheesey, souless ballad strikes again. hy oh why did this song make it and a classic like Postcards From The Wastelands miss out? Oh well, I just swap them on my MP3. I like the accoustic flavour of this one, not done enough IMO but that's all I like about it. 2/5

Bounce - Hell Yeah! This is more like it. Quick, no-nonsense, edgy, hard rocking optimistic classic Bon Jovi song. This I think is more like "It's My Life: Part II, with a stick of dynamite shoved up it's ass. Awesome song, can't believe it wasn't a summer single. 5/5

Open All Night - This really is a superbly written song, the best ballad Jon's written in a long time (along with Postcards....), musically I think it's terrific aswell but I think it's placement as the last song on the album and following Bonce kills it. Even though I really love the song, I have to say I rarely listen to it. I don't think it really fits the album, it wou've been perfect for Crush instead of "She's a Mystery" but I think it just ends the album on a bit of a downer. Saying that though, taken on it's own merits it is an excellent song. 4.5/5


There we go, a much more solid and rocking album then Crush, certainly not without it's faults, mainly the ballads (thankfully the seem to have learnt from their mistakes). The production may be a bit over the top, Richies guitars solos may also be sorely lacking and yes it may be a bit commercial but I do love it. I love the harder sound, I think lyrically it's really terrific. Jon and Richies display their superb story-telling skills and their ability to write incredibley uplifting songs and it was a nice new area to take the band into. I certainly wouldn't want them to stay in that style and thankfully this new album dose seem to be back more in the vain of KTF and TD but all round it's a superb album.

I'd give it 4 AND A HALF STARS


Phil

[Shaun]

Undivided, The Distance, Hook Me Up, and Bounce are my favorites on this album. Everyday and Right Side of Wrong are also very good to me.


the only songs i dont really like are Open All Night and All About Loving You. i can only listen to You Had Me From Hello so much though

[Javier]

Let me say first of all that I really do like Bounce a lot for what it is, always have. I agree with you on a lot of points except for the one that says Undivided has amazing lyrics, I never saw that, It is anm excelent anthem but lyrically I never saw the genious in it. I've always felt everyday to be a great driving Rock song it's just that there are so many overdubbed guitars on it that when played live it somewhat dissapoints a bit. All about loving you and You had me from hello are average songs at best, which should have been left for soundtrack songs instead of this album.Joey and Right side of wrong I never had a problem with, they are lyrically 2 amazingly written songs just not what people expected from Bon Jovi. The distance and Love me Back to life although a bit to similar in some parts and I feel have to much of a creed sound to them I feel that they are amazing songs on their own right with the best vocal performances on the whole album. The song Bounce I feel the same about it as Everyday, and Hook me up also, except that Hook me up makes for a much better live song. Missunderstood I understand why a lot of you don't like it but I've always found it lyrically brilliant in a funny cheeky way and Richie's solo is one of the most intelligent guitar parts of the whole album. Open all night well what can I say, plenty of people dislike this one, maybe because it's to soft? But I feel it has a more honest feeling than the rest of the ballads on this album, maybe because it doesn't feel overdone, it does however end the album on a bit of a down note.

[RyanBounce04]

Let me say first of all that I really do like Bounce a lot for what it is, always have. I agree with you on a lot of points except for the one that says Undivided has amazing lyrics, I never saw that, It is anm excelent anthem but lyrically I never saw the genious in it.

Me either.... Though those lyrics could be great if it didn't sound so cheesy! I love Bounce and Undivided is one of my favorites of all time along with The Distance and Bounce.

Ryan

[Keeper]

I'd only save The Distance, Undivided and Bounce off it. The rest I can compltely do without. I used to quite like Right Side of Wrong but I got tired of it. Love Me Back To Life depends on my mood. Misunderstood and Open All Night I hate.

[Dave 1986]

IMO Bounce is far superior to Crush. It has a very hard edge to most of the songs and is much more aggresive. I don't consider it to be up to the standards of New Jersey or These Days but I find I do play it regularly. Maybe because of the time of my life when it was released and it takes me back. If any album can do that to you then it's gotta be worth something.

My favourite tracks on there are Undivided, The Distance, Hooks Me Up, Love Me Back To Life, and Bounce. Everyday is ok but just seems like a second-rate It's My Life, Joey a very powerful song but IMO you have to be in the mood, and Misunderstood I have a soft spot for even though it is quite poppy. All About Loving You IMO isn't as terrible as people make out but I really don't think it should have been a single, You Had Me From Hello I like because, again, takes me back and it's just a warm, heart-felt song, but Open All Night I'm not amazingly fussed on but still an ok track.

The b-sides from the Bounce sessions are generally IMO all very good, but there are some that should have been album tracks, such as Standing, Another Reason To Believe and No Regrets because I think the meanings of these songs are very poignent to the 9/11 theme. Others like Breathe and Alive are still good but I'm not bothered that they weren't included on Bounce.

[Thomas Anderson]

I don't like Bounce as much as I do Crush, but I do like most of the songs and think it works well as an album.

I'm not fond of Open All night but otherwise I can happily sit and play through the whole album, though sometimes I skip Joey and All About Loving You

[Rob]

Sorry Krycek but I disagree with most of what you say. As for it being a harder rock album I think it's gone more towards the pop genre. Richie's new guitar sound, although more distorted is not loud or heavy enough to consitute a rock album. A similar sound was used on the Crush bonus track Nuerotica, but that was more of a rock song due to the riff being much louder, and the guitar kind of dominating the song. Here's my review:


Undivided - No kidding, this is a good song. Well written lyrics, and written for a purpose. That's how I like songs. This perhaps is one of the more mature songs on the record and for the American public it coulda been an anthem had it only been released. Although just a shade quicker than mid tempo its very powerful and Richie's driving guitar sounds great. Jon's voice also sounds in good form here. 4.5/5

Everyday - They really tried to immitate It's My Life here. It's about the same kinda thing, and is a pop song with less power than IML and full of talkbox and other effects that make it sound tacky. 3/5

The Distance - One of my favourates from the record. It's basically about a guy who is so far away from his girl (like the band on tour) and will 'never give up the fight' to see her again. It kind of reminds me of The Next 100 Years with the strings near the end, but there's enough of a change about it. This is good and acoustic version on TLFR was even better. 4/5

Joey - The piano dominates this song. I like the fact that it's about something totally different than what Bon Jovi usually write about (Jon's humble friend, or the main character's humble friend). The song flows well, but it's a bit sappy with all the soft sounds (the piano and the strings), but is ok. 3.5/5

Missunderstood - 100% pop song with the soft rhythm guitar and catchy lyrics. However I quite like the way that it applies to me. I'm often misunderstood in many things in life. It was quite successful as a single too, which I was quite pleased about, but I just wish it was a bit heavier. 3.5/5

All About Loving You - Jesus man! Don't torture me with this pathetic attempt at a ballad. It's pretty much a Thank You For Loving Me rip off. 1/5

Hook Me Up - Perhaps as close to rock as Bon Jovi came on this album. This is a perfect example of the distorted, but watered down guitar effect that I mentioned at the beginning. I think it should be louder and Jons vocals should be more powerful (almost a shout) I think. I would also like a more prominant baseline that you can hear easier, providing a cool funky sound. This song has potential, but they didn't make the most of it. 3.5/5

Right Side Of Wrong - With Undivided, definately one of the more mature ones. It's not in the same class as Wanted, but it's a good cowboy song and I love the refference to the 60s (or 70s) film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Although it's a fictional story the song has a meaning, and I think it's a well written mid tempo song. There aren't too many effects and the quiet sound of the keyboard and strings during the verses sounds quite good. The solo is not Richie's best work, but the strings give it a little more atmosphere, and it fits the song quite well. 4/5

Love Me Back To Life - Over done the strings on this one. It's quite upbeat but not heavy enough. The lyrics don't appeal to me at all really and strike me as something anyone could write. 2.5/5

You Had Me From Hello - Somebody mentioned that the lyrical content in this song is a lot like Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton, and I agree. It's not in the same street though and is another poor attempt of a ballad. 1.5/5

Bounce - I like the enthusiasm and to some extent the catchyness, but overall I think it contains too many effects and feels a little too artificial for my tastes. Stick to the old fashioned BJ style! 3.5/5

Open All Night - I like the story, about the girl who's in great distress after splitting with her bf, but the song, like all other ballads since the mid 90s lacks power. 2.5/5


Overall it gets 2.5/5 for me. I can relate to some of the songs which is good, but it still doesn't rock enough for my tastes. The album has too many artifical effects on most songs such as Bounce, Everyday and even the strings (although good on 1 or 2 songs) are used too widely throughout the album. There are practically no dominant baselines and the guitar riffs, although not bad in songs such as Hook Me Up just aren't powerful enough. I would have liked the demos Alive and Standin' to replace some AALY and YHMFH on here. Those ballads make me cringe. Although pop songs, at least the guitar is a little more prominant in Alive and Standin', and Standin' seems to have a bit of an up yours kinda attitude that it is quite cool. However having said that they probably would seem out of place on Bounce.

Has anyone ever thought that Bounce it pretty much a Crush remake, but going even more towards the pop genre. Crush was reasonably successful and I think Bon Jovi thought more of the same would work again. It is evident with the singles:

Everyday = It's My Life
Misunderstood (kind of) = Say It Isn't So
AALY = TYFLM


Sorry all you Bounce lovers, but this is my opinion and Bon Jovi need to get Bob Rock back as producer and stick to their original sounds. They really need to be the rock band they were and not the pop band they are now. They still have potential to write good songs and be a great band, but the latest albums (especially this one) fall short of their standards in my opinion.

[spunkywho]

I actually might like TLFR better than Bounce.

Hate Bounce, the only song I've listened to more than a couple of times is Open All Night. It's an awesome song and I just can't understand why people don't like it.

[darkmusicangel]

I like Bounce far better than Crush
Everyday, Love Me Back To Life, Bounce, Undivided, Misunderstood and Hook Me Up...those are my favorites.