Lost Highway

by

Bon Jovi

Edit

I was a hair band fan from way back and always loved Bon Jovi. What I always loved about the Hair Band days was the power ballad. The power ballad always had the strong hook and most importantly the strong lyrics. As the hair bands faded, I found what I loved in Country music. The strong hook and the powerful lyric, has been present in Country music for a long time. I am not a fan of some of the old time Country, but I am in the newer Country. Bon Jovi has taken that New Country in this albumn and even taken it further. This has the same Bon Jovi feel that I have always loved, yet it has that Nashville feel. I know there have been very personal feelings in the lyrics of this album from what has gone on in Sambora and Bryant's personal lives. That has just cemented the greatness of this. "A Whole Lot of Leaving Going On" totally exemplifies this. I am still proud of my Hair Band loving roots, and this album shows the growth of not only Bon Jovi as a band, but myself as a person also. The party anthems are still here, and it is great to have a country flavor to them. What else could you ask from Bon Jovi?

The Good

Riding high on the success of one country crossover hit "Who Says You Can't Go Home," Bon Jovi take a stab at a full album of country inspired songs. With that being said, you really can't call this a country album at all, more like Bon Jovi unplugged or Bon Jovi-light. As usual, the songwriting is great. Bon Jovi has always had a knack for that, and as they've matured, so has their lyrics. If Bon Jovi can't touch you with a ballad (like "Make a Memory" and "Seat Next to You"), then you must be dead. Unless you're a die-hard Bon Jovi fan, I doubt you will find anything that tickles your fancy. Even if you are a Bon Jovi fan, you'll still have your reservations.

The Bad

The albums biggest problem is its lack of energy. It's as if Jon has accepted he's gotten older and decided to slow everything down. "Summertime" and "Whole Lot of Leavin'" have some energy, but they are far from anthems. I don't know how they could even promote this as a country album either. Because they use more acoustics, slide guitar, and a banjo? The closest thing to country is "We Got It Going On" featuring Big and Rich, and that's more like modern country.

The Verdict

Instead of calling it "Bon Jovi's country album," perhaps they should have called it "Bon Jovi's adult contemporary album." All you're really getting is all of the energy sucked out of the Bon Jovi you knew and loved in the 80s. Yeah, you get a few good songs, but overall you get let down. Some roads are better left un-traveled. This Lost Highway is one of them.