Bon Jovi - This House Is Not For Sale (Deluxe Edition) (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock

Label - Virgin EMI

Track listing:

01. This House Is Not For Sale
02. Living With The Ghost
03. Knockout
04. Labour Of Love
05. Born Again Tomorrow
06. Roller Coaster
07. New Year's Day
08. The Devil's In The Temple
09. Scars On This Guitar
10. God Bless This Mess
11. Reunion
12. Come On Up To Our House
BONUS TRACKS:
13. Real Love
14. All Hail The King
15. We Don't Run
16. I Will Drive You Home
17. Goodnight New York
18. Touch Of Grey (Exclusive 'Saturn' Edition Bonus)

"This House Is Not For Sale" is BON JOVI’s new album, and in my honest opinion ion is the best album that they have released in years!
This is Bon Jovi's fourteenth studio album in a long and winding musical road that spans more than three decades and total record sales of more than 130 million units worldwide. Bon Jovi is, quite simply, one of the best-selling bands of all time. And, like many other mega-bands, its members have weathered their share of storms.
Opener title track "This House is not for Sale" has an explanation; "The House" described in this arena-ready single is the band itself, and the whole "not for sale" aspect seems to be an extra punch toward the label, as well as a beat toward the future, which the singer assured "is bright."
"Living with a Ghost" is  another straightaway rock banger with a sweeping guitar melody, then "Knockout", the album's eventual second single, felt fairly old-school, '80s in essence.
"Labour of Love" is the album's first ballad, pretty Springsteen-esque for my tastes. "Born Again Tomorrow" is the "we need to sound like 2016" song.
"Rollercoaster", an up-tempo rocker with a fine dynamic chorus, and even much better with "The Devils in the Temple" and its lyrics with a explicit "screw you" to the record label. Its also one of the best songs that I have heard this year!
Lyrically, "Scars on this Guitar" s Bon Jovi's best work in a while, an ode to a lover — presumably wife Dorothea — who sticks around through thick and thin. It's not that the ballad is so poetic, it just feels like more real, from the heart, and not written solely to blare from MetLife Stadium speakers. It also feels like the natural successor to "My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms" from These Days!
"God Bless this Mess" rocks again with a cool melody and nice guitar riffs, and "Come on up to our House" is a decent mid-tempo with a contemporary feel.
The Deluxe Edition featured 3 bonus; the first being the really good (to me) "Real Love". Kudos to Bryan on the bounding, tonally beautiful piano melody for this tune, written in Nashville with longtime Bon Jovi collaborator Billy Falcon, and in the same vein as Bed of Roses.
"All Hail the King" is a typical 2YK light rocker, and "We Don't Run" is taken from 2015's fan album/record label demand Burning Bridges, another big rock chorus ready for large stages.
"I Will Drive You Home" is a slow mid-tempo beautiful song,  "Goodnight New York" picks up the tempo with its catchy rhythm guitars and a fun vibe.
This Saturn exclusive track 'Touch Of Grey' is one of the best tracks form these recording sessions, a mid-tempo with some acoustic guitar into the mix and a feel akin Bon Jovi's These Days album.

A marvellous return to form for one of the worlds biggest selling bands!

Highly recommended

Rating: 10/10

Bon Jovi - Burning Bridges (2015)

 

Genre - Melodic Rock / Pop

Label - Mercury Records

 

Track listing:

01 - A Tear Drop To The Sea

02 - We Don't Run

03 - Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning

04 - We All Fall Down

05 - Blind Love

06 - Who Would You Die For

07 - Fingerprints

08 - Life Is Beautiful

09 - I'm Your Man

10 - Burning Bridges

 

 

Bon Jovi return with not so much a new album, but a new album that is made up of left over, previously unfinished songs from previous recording sessions, (something that is alluded to in the albums title track, 'Burning Bridges'). It has to be said, that although Burning Bridges is basically a contractual obligation filling release, it is also one of the best Bon Jovi releases that I have heard in a long, long time.

The album opens with the moody atmospheric 'A Tear Drop To The Sea', which see's the guys treading the slow ballady material that they do so well, but this is one of the strongest tracks that I have heard from them in years. A Great start!

Next up is the new song, 'We Don't Run'. which is very much a modern rocking song.

Melodic rocker 'Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning' follows, before 'We All Fall Down' slows the tempo a little once more. To be honest I could make mention of all ten tracks on offer here as they are all great songs, many of which I believe will become certified Bon Jovi classics.

Other stand out tracks include, 'Who Would You Die For?' and 'Fingerprints', two absolutely brilliant songs.

In fact this is simply the best album Bon Jovi has released in the last twenty years.

I cant recommend this album highly enough, whether you are fan of Bon Jovi or just melodic rock in general, you simply aren't going to hear a better album this year!

 

Very Highly Recommended

 

Rating  - 10/10

 

Bon Jovi - What About Now (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Melodic Rock / Pop
Label -

Track listing -

01 - Because We can

02 - I'm With You
03 - What About Now
04 - Pictures Of You
05 - Amen
06 - That's What The Water Made Me
07 - What's Left Of Me
08 - Army Of One
09 - Thick As Thieves
10 - Beautiful World
11 - Room At The End of The World
12 - The Fighter
13 - With These Two Hands (bonus track)
14 - Not Running Anymore (bonus track)
15 - Old Habits Die Hard (bonus track)
16 - Every Road Leads Home To You (bonus track)

New Jersey icons BON JOVI release their twelfth studio album "What About Now".

At this point of their career, Bon Jovi really have no interest in breaking any ground, and "What About Now" is not likely to introduce the group to those who aren't already fans of the band.
Yet fans will find the album a focused and energetic exercise in the sort of fist-raising, arena rock that Bon Jovi can still do as well as anybody — and that is still valuable, no matter how radically musical times have changed.
Somehow lost in their delivery since the last couple of albums, Bon Jovi has not sounded this driven or awake in the studio in years. Even the band haters have never thrown stones at the group's musicianship. With their skills honed by decades on the road, these now mature musicians are playing as well as they ever have.

Richie Sambora’s signature guitar leads enliven the title track and lead single "Because We Can", his delicate acoustic guitar decorates the ballad "Amen" and on "Beautiful World", he chimes away on the high strings with the urgency of a young kid hungry for glory.
Drummer Tico Torres, who still hits his snare with conviction, provides heavy black frames for these bright acrylic paintings; while secret-weapon synth player David Bryan brightens the corners of the mixes with string pads and those fat, burbling mid-range sounds that seem exclusive to Bon Jovi albums.
Then there's the Jovi musician who never gets any love from fans but has become a fundamental piece of solid groove for the group's musicianship: bassist Hugh McDonald. His cement-solid throb anchors two of the best cuts on the record: the optimistic single "Because We Can" with its sing-along, feel good vibe, and the defiant "That's What The Water Made Me".
And what about Jon Bon Jovi itself in 2013?

The singer remains an indefatigable force. Jon sings in this new record with more vigor and believability than in any of the band's albums from the last decade, blowing his melodies straight through his characteristic leonine nose really convincingly for the most part.
His determination to identify with working-class characters gets him in hot water, especially when he chews up all the scenery he can in the name of hard-eyed realism.
"I'm With You" a minor-key grinder that doesn't entirely hang together, is a desperate statement of solidarity with the downtrodden and impoverished. Even if that sentiment sounds a little funny coming from a world-famous rock star, he wants to believe it badly, and his desire to align himself with the poor bestows dignity on the song.
To be fair, the plight of the working stiff has been his preferred topic since the '80s, and we loved then, why not now in 2013.
The love songs on the disc lead with compassion and comfort, too. At least for this outing, Bon Jovi is less interested in romantic fire than he is in sanctuary.
On "Because We Can", he likens himself to a rock, and that's not merely a tribute to the style his band will go down playing, no matter what. A rock is steady and reliable, firm and unchanging — quite a bit like Bon Jovi itself.
With "What About Now" Bon Jovi has returned, at least partially, to their trademark delivery of air-punching numbers with some of the fire from the band's late eighties / nineties style. More rocking, more rougher and with a slightly edgy sound provided by John Shanks' production.

"What About Now" really does show where Jon Bon Jovi and his three band-mates have come over the years: a quite solid and consistent rock act.
Reconmended for fans of the band!


Rating 9/10