It could have been a sensational album.It could have been their best album ever .It could have been much bigger and better than ’’Crush’’ or ’’These Days’’. But for all the hype and hoopla ’’Bounce’’ is not as phenomenal as it should have been.
For all those who are not aware, the Virtual Gods of hard hitting rock, New Jersey’s hottest property, Bon Jovi, are back to ’’rock the hell outta ya’’ with their 8th studio album ’’Bounce’’(Island records)
Now this album is excellent, it is mediocre.It is stupendous, it is ordinary.It sounds new, it sounds hackneyed.(Alright, alright..i wont try to sound like Charles Dickens anymore;-)!!).
But then thats how ’’Bounce’’ makes u feel like, when u listen to it for the first time. On first hearing it sounds like a collection of B-side tracks which could’nt be hidden in any of their earlier albums. And then slowly u find the music growing on u and thats when u realise ’’Hey, it is’nt that bad , after all!’’
This album has a diverse collection of songs basically.There’s something for everyone in here. .Jon and his guys must have worked pretty much hard at this album and they’ve managed to pull it off in style.
A very good album nevertheless, if not a great one, going by Bonjovi standards , that is.
SIDE-1
1).Undivided:A riff-ridden power-packed opener which has Bon Jovi written all over it! This is Bon Jovi at their classic best.Few songs are as powerful and hard-hitting as this one. This song is influenced almost directly by the sept 11th attack.Its a song celebrating unity and togetherness.A tribute to all those people who were fathers, mothers and children standing together searching for life amidst the rubble, at the risk of their own.The message is outright and very very conspicuous.
I found spirit, they could’nt ruin it
I found courage in the smoke and dust
I found faith in the songs you silenced
Deep down..its ringing in each of us
One for love, one for truth..one for me, one for you
Where we once were divided, now we stand as one..UNDIVIDED
And with that Bonjovi score a 9.5/10 for this track!
2).Everyday:This is the headbanging plummeting kind of track that could well be your jumpstarter of the day! It does’nt get any close to the band’s earlier hit ’’Its my life’’(Crush)which was similar in theme. Yet it grabs you from the start with its rather heavy orchestration and the catchy ,
I’m gonna touch the sky
Spread these wings and fly
I ’aint here to play,
Hear me when I say
Gonna live my life..Everyday!
Not a bad song at all anyways and i’d give it a 6/10.
3)Distance:This is one of the better songs in this album.Starts off on a lighter note and then u have Jon and his crew taking it higher under the full blast of the acoustic guitar. For the most part, the song flows smoothly and makes very good listening.
9/10 is how i’d rate this track.
4)Joey:A pretty unBonjovish(!)track where Jon takes the ’’avtaar’’ of a storyteller on the lines of ’’Levon’’ by elton john.In this BruceSpringsteen inspired number Jon slips into the shoes of this guy called joey keys and gives a little insight into his life, his love and dreams. A rather slow and soft piece of music.A highly creative Jon at work here!I’ll give him full credit for this effort and for the song I guess 8.5/10 is fair enough!
5)Misunderstood:This track is quite upbeat, but otherwise there’s nothing great about it. Simplistic and hummable almost instantly, this song is about those moments in life when u said the wrong things in ur unthinking moods, . and then when things had fallen apart, wished u’d rather kept ur mouth shut.
(Check out the ’’I-I-I-I-I’’ part..thats the best thing about this song!!!)5.5/10 will do for this song.
6)All about Lovin’U:A Bonjovi album without a ballad is hardly imaginable!This is the first of the 4 ballads featured in this album.The song stands nowhere in comparison to ’’Always’’ or ’’Bed of roses’’ or ’’In these Arms’’ but still its a wonderful ballad, if not a classic piece.I’d give the song 7.5/10.
SIDE-2
7)Hook Me Up:Kicks off with the irresistable ’’Hello, is there anybody out there?’’which is sure gonna have the fans going beserk!Every rocker’s delight, this, with its thunderous drums, slashing guitars and that wild vibe !This track sure does rock, and rocks really hard at that..takes u back to the ’’New Jersey’’ era!So how about 8.5/10 for this track?
8)Right Side Of Wrong:After some genuine hardcore rock, the mood drifts to a gentler, softer note.This track drags a little at the startand then builds up gradually.Richie Sambora is simply amazing with his guitar towards the final thread of the song. Its another beautiful ballad for which 9/10 would not be too much.
9)Love Me Back To Life:I wonder why this song was ever included in the album!It eerily resembles ’’Distance’’ on side-1 of the same album.It’s just one of those much done before category of love songs.Average on the whole. My rating of this song would be 3/10.
10)You Had From Me Hello:A very gentle romantic track which gets better every time u listen to it.It sounds a wee bit fresh too and makes you unwind to one of those glorious moments under the moonlight!One of my favourites in the album and fully deserves a 9/10.
11)Bounce:After a string of mushy ballads, its time to WAKE UP!!This track will have the audience screaming for more, when Bonjovi performs live! Its every bit a track designed to be played on a concert.Each time Jon and co say ’’Bounce, Bounce’’, u really do feel like doing a lively jig!!! A groovy concert number.8/10 is how i’d rate it.
12)Open All Night:Now, its time to wind up and go to sleep!This song , which happens to be another lovesick ballad(C’mon, its a Bonjovi CD!!), reallygets on my nerves!Not that I dont like ballads(I love them in fact)but this one is sickening...theres absolutely nothing to this song.Its the last song in the album and I head for the stop button even before the song ends!2/10 ..that’d be my rating.
To sum it up all, the album is pretty good.But having said that, i think the album lacks something..probably, the absence of that one classic inspirational song or perhaps it simply lacks the depth. Well, it could be anything, but I cant quite figure out what it is. But then, its a new album with new songs and a brilliant effort by the band itself.
They’ve stuck together all these years (and im sure they will..for many more years to come)and have to their credit some hauntingly unforgettable and sensational hits like ’’Bed of Roses’’, ’’In These Arms’’, ’’Always’’, ’’Livin’On A Prayer’’, , ’’You give love a bad name’’, ’’Runaway’’, to name a few.Come july, and the band will be celebrating their 20th year together .
As for ’’Bounce’’, well, the album lies on my CD rack, not because it’s got great music, but just because i’m a BonJovi fan!
So my advice would be:Get the CD only if u r a fan of BonJovi, otherwise u might not enjoy it much. And that’s that.Looking forward to Bonjovi’s next album but most importantly lookin forward to ur comments now!! .