Bon Jovi - Bounce

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Music reviews of Bounce

Music Review: Bounce is eratic but ultimately a pleasing experience.
Rating: 4 Stars

Bounce, their 8th studio album, shows them coming the closest to this goal then they ever have before. The band seems to be in a transitory state, still hanging on to their old sound with two fingers, while showing off a rougher more tempermental breed of Rock. The album goes from songs that are instantly recognizable as Bon Jovi songs, to things that havne't ever been done before by this band.

The overall tone of the album is rather hard to discern, as they already had their revolutionary album (Keep The Faith) and have been simply evolving since then. There's not much there that hasn't been done by other bands, but Bon Jovi shows us that sometimes old tricks work just as well as old ones.

The album opens with "Undivided" The band's ode to patriotism in the wake of the events of 9/11/01 an effect far more satisfying than the cloying "Freedom" crooned by ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, whose only purpose seems to be to showcase Jon Bon Jovi as a far superior songwriter. The song opens heavy and shows off Jon's range, from low gutteral (but clean) vocals to his more more popular tinny wails.

"Everyday", is definately the hit of the album, as my DJ friend put it, she has to play the song about 2 times each shift. However this song has power to it, once again showing Bon Jovi edging towards metal, and it doesn't become nearly as maddening when overplayed as "It's My Life" did, perhaps becuase it's something different.

"The Distance" is standard Bon Jovi filler, a song that is very much quite enjoyable when listening to it, but forgotten when not. Overshadowed by far by the more pop-sensible and the more complex tracks both, this song is almost lost on this album.

"Joey" brings the album down a few notches, showcasing the old Bon Jovi trick of a power-ballad crescendo. It's been done a million times, but the lyrics of this song are almost irristable. A feelgood song in many ways, "Joey" will get into your head almost as much as "Everyday"

By the time you reach "Misunderstood" you're wondering if the first two songs off of this album were a fluke. Is it the same old Bon Jovi after all? However this track does show a change to a more layered sound, rather than a more edgy sound. This is what seems to make the album eratic, as it pulls the band in two new directions at once. I honestly wonder why this song enjoys the popularity it does, whlie better songs on the album are virtually ignored.

Onwards to "All About Loving You" which drips with syrup in the way only a Bon Jovi love song could do. It's almost indescribable how if any other band did this song, it would be vastly irritating. This song sounds very much like a love song by Aerosmith, and even would have fit in nicely on Aerosmith's "Pump" album. Lacking Steven Tyler's sassyness, Jon Bon Jovi makes up for it with pure emotion, something that pours out of his very pores and sweats from the speakers, neutralizing any ill effects of the syrup in this song.

But what do we have here? Just when beginning to think that thsi was a throwback Bon Jovi and the first two songs were a fluke, along comes "Hook me Up" a song that once again gently tugs Bon Jovi towards metal. The mixture of riffs and very subtle slow picking makes this song drive hard. This is definatly a song to dance around the house in your socks in, and definately the most underrated track on this album.

Bon Jovi then goes ALLLLL the way back in time to something that would sound right at home on "Slippery When Wet" but with a more modern twist. I'm talking of course about the westernized ballad "Right Side of Wrong" With it's endearing chorus and emotional vocals, well structered verses and a story to boot, this is the best track on the entire album.

Borrowing once again from Aerosmith "Love Me Back to Life" showcases thrashy guitars (but not played quick enough to be actual thrash) and wailing verses over the riffed up orchestra. This song switches styles quickly musically while the vocals stay the same. It's an interseting, and pleasing effect.

"You Had Me From Hello" honestly has no place here, not a bad song, but kind of redundant alongside "All About Loving You" this song lacks a central point, or maybe the purpose is to compound the point of that aformentioned track? Either way it's not needed.

"Bounce" is an excellent close to this album, except that it's not. Another tacked on track called "Open All Night" promises to end the album on a more somber note. Honestly I didn't want to come off an album called "Bounce" on a somber note. I heavily dispute the track listing as this could have been more towards the center of the album. However "Bounce" delivers all that it promises, an excellent song to bounce with, this showcases the change in Bon Jovi more than any other track, but also shows them remaining faithfull to their roots.

Overall, if you are a Bon Jovi fan, nothing I say matters as you already own this album. However this is not an album only for fans, as Just about anybody will find something redeeming here. I personally could have done without 3 love ballads where 2 would have done nicely, and the aggrivating "Misunderstood" is the album's sore spot, this album is still a lot of fun to listen to. Definately worth a look.

Description of Bounce

Classic Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Hard Rock & Metal
• Pop
• Rock