It seems that with every album they release as a band, Bon Jovi defies the odds and the critics and manage to make it a commercial success. Released in June of 2000, their newest album, Crush, defied the odds as well, debuting on the Billboards in the top 10 on the strength of the surprising smash radio hit, It's My Life.
Bon Jovi has not been a regularly together band since the late 80s. After their huge album New Jersey, it took 4 years and a lot of turmoil before the stunning Keep the Faith came out. They then sated fans' appetites with a greatest hits collection (Cross Road), and it was 3 years after Keep the Faith that These Days appeared, in 1995. Jon released a solo album in 97, and finally, 5 years after their last album, the band released this.
For some reason, I've been unable to resist buying every album this band puts out (the hits collection being the only exception). I still remember being 6 years old and thinking that Livin on a Prayer and You Give Love (A Bad Name) were the coolest things I had ever heard. It was so full of life, energy, and dammit, it was so catchy, I couldn't resist. Maybe it's because Bon Jovi was the first real rock artist I truly liked, and at some points of my young years, loved. Needless to say, the band has become older, wiser, and even more mature. However, with this album, the band may finally be fading a bit after the amazing Keep the Faith and the almost equally as good These Days. Perhaps the biggest problem with this record is you've heard it all before if you own any Bon Jovi album from Slippery When Wet on.
Yes, I do like It's My Life, and it probably is the best track on the album, although here, that's not necessarily saying much. At the very least, I can say there are some interesting songs on here, and the sounds range from the classic pop-metal sounds from 15 years ago (It's My Life) to the strains of Next 100 Years, which is lyrically cheesy, even by Bon Jovi's previous cheesy standards.
Just Older shows that Bon Jovi can try to be that other New Jersey rocker, a guy named Bruce, I dunno, maybe you've heard of him. If you actually need a last name, may I suggest turning off MTV and asking your parents, you'll thank me later, but I digress. Jon's vocal delivery on the first verse of this song just smacks of Bruce, and the music is certainly nothing new or exciting.
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars would be a decent song if the band didn't totally rip the music for it off of Belly's Gepetto. The songs are strikingly alike, and Tanya Donelly et al should consider suing the band if this becomes a hit.
The rest of the album isn't much better. One Wild Night? Give me I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. Say It Isn't So? Give me Living in Sin. Mystery Train? Give me Wanted Dead or Alive.
OK, so She's a MysteryI Got the Girl are ok at best, but they're far from the best this band has put out. As I said before, if you've heard the other Bon Jovi albums, you've heard this one. Don't let It's My Life fool you. This album is not very good.
BON JOVI s history is, of course, familiar to any rock fan who hasn t been living in a closet for the past decade. In brief, a few Jersey-based musici...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.