| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Legendary We Made It Look Easy Living Proof Waves Seeds Kiss The Bride The People's House Walls Of Jericho I Wrote You A Song Living In Paradise My First Guitar Hollow Man Release Date: June 7, 2024 Label: Island Records Website: bonjovi.com |  |
Whether you're a die-hard fan, casual listener or not a fan at all, there is absolutely no denying the impact and importance of Bon Jovi. The amount of hits and timeless music that this one band from Jersey has managed to produce over the last 40 years says it all. With such a unique history of success, struggles, reinvention and triumph, it has resulted in a legacy that is worthy of everyone's respect, no matter what side of the fence you are on as a fan. Jon Bon Jovi has a uniqueness as a vocalist, frontman and songwriter. He and Richie Sambora made for one of the most iconic singer/guitarist duos and songwriting teams ever, crafting some of the most iconic songs of all time, with "Livin' On A Prayer", "You Give Love A Bad Name", "Wanted Dead Or Alive", "Born To Be My Baby" and "It's My Life" still being some of the top songs you will hear at almost every wedding and dance/karaoke party.
Starting off as a melodic hard rock band that was sort of lumped in with the hair metal bands of the 80s, and did tours with Kiss, Scorpions and Whitesnake, they eventually morphed into a more contemporary/easy listening rock act in the 90s and the 2000s, even becoming the first rock band in history to have a #1 country single with "Who Says You Can't Go Home". The biggest shock to the band came in 2013 when Sambora stepped down from the band, and everyone thought that the band had reached its end, but they soldiered on with Phil X stepping into those big shoes. The band soldiered on with releasing records and touring, and getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2018. The last album 2020 was released during a tumultuous time for both the band and the world (for obvious reasons), and the album didn't do as well as everyone had hoped.
For several years now, Jon came under scrutiny for his vocal performances, especially during the band's last tour in 2022. This led to vocal surgery, and eventually a brand new record titled Forever. While he may still be in recovery, and the possibility of another tour still remains in question, he's definitely in very positive spirits, which is definitely a good sign. However, getting into the new record, it definitely still follows in the lane that they've been taking for the last 20 years since Have A Nice Day. While there were rumours of the band bringing back more of their rock-oriented sound, acoustic, clean and slightly distorted guitars are still very much at the forefront of the album, especially on tracks like "Legendary", "We Made It Look Easy" and "Waves". When it comes to the ballads, they've made some spotty decent ones since the 2000s, but there's no way they're ever going to top "Bed Of Roses".
For the longest time, a certain segment of the fan base were calling for the return of the band's big rock sound from the 80s. While that's an impossibility, we still get songs that contain some rocking crunch, like "Living Proof". Sonically, it might not contain the same power as "Livin' On A Prayer", "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Born To Be My Baby", but this is probably the most punch we've heard in a Bon Jovi song, and it brings back the vibes experienced on those aforementioned songs. Lyrically, Jon has never been afraid to write about personal subjects. "Kiss The Bride" tackles all the emotions he would experience when walking his daughter Stephanie down the aisle at her wedding. However, if you were to ask me what the best song on the album is, that would be "Walls Of Jericho". It's got the most unifying and catchiest chorus on the entire album with its anthemic vibe in the vein of classics like "Let It Rock", "Lay Your Hands On Me" and "Bad Medicine".
Now, it's obvious that the Bon Jovi albums of the last 20 years, but especially the post-Sambora albums aren't going to get the same level of love and recognition as the albums from their heyday like Slippery, New Jersey and Keep The Faith, and there's never gonna be another album from them where they go right back to their melodic hard rock roots. Their setlists usually pack about 25-26 songs. They're another one of those bands like Def Leppard and Journey that could easily fill up an entire 25-song setlist with the classics/hits and still sell out stadiums. Jon has been in a very different headspace on how he wants to market and sell the band for close to 30 years now, and with his vocal issues, there's no way he's gonna be able to sing like he used to, so for all those holding out hope for a Bon Jovi album to sound like their 80s albums, you might as well give up hope now.
To me, Forever seems like just another by-the-numbers Bon Jovi album of the 2010s, continuing in the vein of Because We Can and This House Is Not For Sale, where you have the uplifting, upbeat, slightly crunchy numbers, and the rather slower, sappy ballads. I will be completely honest as I always am, but with the exception of certain songs, this album doesn't really do much. It's not a bad album, it just didn't contain that magical inexplicable thing that would've made the album a smash of a listen. How long Bon Jovi can keep going for remains to be seen, given that some of the guys are in their 70s now, like Tico Torres and Hugh McDonald, and it doesn't look like they're gonna tour anymore, but Jon seems to be in a comfortable place now where he and the rest of the band have pretty much done it all and don't have anything left to prove, and Forever says exactly that.
Starting off as a melodic hard rock band that was sort of lumped in with the hair metal bands of the 80s, and did tours with Kiss, Scorpions and Whitesnake, they eventually morphed into a more contemporary/easy listening rock act in the 90s and the 2000s, even becoming the first rock band in history to have a #1 country single with "Who Says You Can't Go Home". The biggest shock to the band came in 2013 when Sambora stepped down from the band, and everyone thought that the band had reached its end, but they soldiered on with Phil X stepping into those big shoes. The band soldiered on with releasing records and touring, and getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2018. The last album 2020 was released during a tumultuous time for both the band and the world (for obvious reasons), and the album didn't do as well as everyone had hoped.
For several years now, Jon came under scrutiny for his vocal performances, especially during the band's last tour in 2022. This led to vocal surgery, and eventually a brand new record titled Forever. While he may still be in recovery, and the possibility of another tour still remains in question, he's definitely in very positive spirits, which is definitely a good sign. However, getting into the new record, it definitely still follows in the lane that they've been taking for the last 20 years since Have A Nice Day. While there were rumours of the band bringing back more of their rock-oriented sound, acoustic, clean and slightly distorted guitars are still very much at the forefront of the album, especially on tracks like "Legendary", "We Made It Look Easy" and "Waves". When it comes to the ballads, they've made some spotty decent ones since the 2000s, but there's no way they're ever going to top "Bed Of Roses".
For the longest time, a certain segment of the fan base were calling for the return of the band's big rock sound from the 80s. While that's an impossibility, we still get songs that contain some rocking crunch, like "Living Proof". Sonically, it might not contain the same power as "Livin' On A Prayer", "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Born To Be My Baby", but this is probably the most punch we've heard in a Bon Jovi song, and it brings back the vibes experienced on those aforementioned songs. Lyrically, Jon has never been afraid to write about personal subjects. "Kiss The Bride" tackles all the emotions he would experience when walking his daughter Stephanie down the aisle at her wedding. However, if you were to ask me what the best song on the album is, that would be "Walls Of Jericho". It's got the most unifying and catchiest chorus on the entire album with its anthemic vibe in the vein of classics like "Let It Rock", "Lay Your Hands On Me" and "Bad Medicine".
Now, it's obvious that the Bon Jovi albums of the last 20 years, but especially the post-Sambora albums aren't going to get the same level of love and recognition as the albums from their heyday like Slippery, New Jersey and Keep The Faith, and there's never gonna be another album from them where they go right back to their melodic hard rock roots. Their setlists usually pack about 25-26 songs. They're another one of those bands like Def Leppard and Journey that could easily fill up an entire 25-song setlist with the classics/hits and still sell out stadiums. Jon has been in a very different headspace on how he wants to market and sell the band for close to 30 years now, and with his vocal issues, there's no way he's gonna be able to sing like he used to, so for all those holding out hope for a Bon Jovi album to sound like their 80s albums, you might as well give up hope now.
To me, Forever seems like just another by-the-numbers Bon Jovi album of the 2010s, continuing in the vein of Because We Can and This House Is Not For Sale, where you have the uplifting, upbeat, slightly crunchy numbers, and the rather slower, sappy ballads. I will be completely honest as I always am, but with the exception of certain songs, this album doesn't really do much. It's not a bad album, it just didn't contain that magical inexplicable thing that would've made the album a smash of a listen. How long Bon Jovi can keep going for remains to be seen, given that some of the guys are in their 70s now, like Tico Torres and Hugh McDonald, and it doesn't look like they're gonna tour anymore, but Jon seems to be in a comfortable place now where he and the rest of the band have pretty much done it all and don't have anything left to prove, and Forever says exactly that.
FINAL RATING
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