Cons: wish there had been some better choices in the tracklist
The Bottom Line: This Left Feels Right is a bold creative step for Bon Jovi. Definitely recommended for anyone who is a bit tired of the same versions of the old songs.
MattA75's Full Review: This Left Feels Right: Greatest Hits With a Twist ...
If nothing else, Bon Jovi deserves some major kudos for having the balls to put out a record like This Left Feels Right.
Taking many of their biggest hits, the band has re-worked each one acoustically. And when I say re-worked, I mean they've actually sat down and just about damn near re-written some of these songs. Guitarist Richie Sambora even touches on this in the liner notes, saying something along the lines of "you've seen bands do this for one or two songs, but never something to this extent." And while for the most part the tracks selected to be re-worked are good selections, I kind of wish they had grabbed something from the early days, say pre Slippery When Wet.
And so, with that being said, if you are one of the many many people who no doubt have no problem with how Livin on a Prayer sounds on the three millionth spin, then you should just stop reading this review right now; you'll most likely consider this whole disc to be blasphemy anyways. Comprised of 12 tracks ranging from the 1986 Slippery When Wet disc up through the band's most recent release, 2002's Bounce (and skipping right over 1996's These Days unfortunately), This Left Feels Right is interesting and intriguing if nothing else.
I've liked Bon Jovi since I was just about seven years old, banging my little head to You Give Love a Bad Name, Raise Your Hands, and the definitive pop metal anthem of all time, Lay Your Hands on Me. And well, while I still enjoy many of the hit songs, I find myself lately gravitating more towards the stuff that didn't get overplayed on the radio, namely much of 1992's Keep the Faith and the aforementioned These Days. All in all, many of Jovi's hits had become stale for me, not necessarily because they weren't good songs, but just that I had heard them a billion times. I think that is why I'm enjoying an awful lot of this album right now.
Wanted Dead or Alive kicks the album off in grand style. The basic guitar melody remains the same, although it is pushed much farther back in the mix, behind some quick string gushes, percussion, and Jon's emotive singing voice. The band ditches the acoustic stuff for a couple of big arena rock notes, although this is the only place on the record this happens.
The band follows this up with arguably their biggest hit ever. Livin on a Prayer is yet again reworked here, this time featuring the vocal talents of Olivia d'Abo (probably best known for her work as the big sister on the wonderful TV series The Wonder Years). d'Abo sounds wonderful, creating nice dueling harmonies with Jon.
More radical is the departures given Bad Medicine and Lay Your Hands on Me. Bad Medicine becomes a mix of country and jazzy blues. In fact, some might even call it country and lounge music, although that's probably too harsh. Either way, Medicine is one song that definitely benefits from an updated treatment. With Lay Your Hands on Me, the band turns a shout along number into something much more earthy sounding, replete with solid backing harmonies and some nice guitar work from Sambora.
Needless to say, some of the ballads are given make-overs as well, although for the most part, I don't think they work as well. Bed of Roses is just a generic ballad as it is written. I guess you could say the new arrangement makes it feel a bit more intimate, but again, can a somewhat closer sense of intimacy make up for really generic lyrics? Some critics might bring up the same argument for I'll Be There For You, but to me, that song was always one of the better ballads the band wrote in their 80s heyday. I just kind of wish that you could hear the harmonizing between Jon and Richie a bit more. Lastly, there's the album closing Always, which is a tad better than the original version found on the band's first greatest hits album. The way Jon sings the chorus on the original always made me cringe.
Perhaps the greatest reworking here is that of Keep the Faith. The song has become extremely soulful, something that certainly could not be said for the original bombastic version of the song.
I realize the band was under a hectic touring schedule while recording and prepping this album. With that being said, I wish a little more imagination had gone into the tracklist. I could've easily lost Everyday, Bed of Roses, and Always for songs that really would have had large creative potential, like Something for the Pain, My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms, and Blood on Blood. The whole record is really dour too, and while I realize that's kind of the point of an acoustic record, methinks they could've redone something from their catalog and given it a little pep.
That being said, I still can enjoy a good amount of this album. I wonder if I'll be able to enjoy it once I've really worn it out, and I wonder still if eventually I'll crave hearing Livin on a Prayer in its original form and only in its original form. I guess time will tell. In the meantime, I'll give this a solid 3.5 star rating, and I'll round it up to 4.
Great Music to Play While: Realizing that Bon Jovi had more to offer than most people wanted to (or still want to) admit.
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