:: Bon Jovi - The Circle

Bon Jovi

Their singles may not light up the charts like they once used to, and their last few album releases have been patchy at best, but it hasn’t slowed down long running New Jersey rock outfit Bon Jovi from touring the globe year after year and keeping their millions of fans coming back for more year in/year out. Two years after experimenting with country rock influences on ‘Lost Highway’, the four piece act are back with their eleventh full-length effort ‘The Circle’. In the lead-up to the release of ‘The Circle’, Sambora promised a return to the band’s rock and roll sound of the late ‘90’s, with co-producer John Shanks credited as helping the band get back to what they do best. Needless to say, there’s plenty of hype surrounding Bon Jovi’s latest release. And to be fair, fans who haven’t been put off by their output over the last decade will find plenty to enjoy on ‘The Circle’. The opener ‘We Weren’t Born To Follow’, despite sounding a little reminiscent of ‘Born To Be My Baby’, is a solid enough effort from the band and provides the album with a strong start. ‘When We Were Beautiful’ is undoubtedly one of the album’s stand-out efforts with its huge sound and subtle use of echoed gang vocals in the background. This is by far one of Bon Jovi’s strongest songs in a lot of years, and sure to become a favourite live on the band’s upcoming tour. The third single from the album is the half ballad/half rocker ‘Superman Tonight’, which is another good effort, as too, is the far edgier and heavier ‘Bullet’, while the simple rock vibe of ‘Thorn In My Side’ and the moody ‘Brokenpromiseland’ keep the quality of the album afloat around the three quarter mark. Unfortunately not everything works on ‘The Circle’. Although I’m sure they had the best of intentions, ‘Work For The Working Man’ comes across as a weak attempt at an anthem, while ‘Live Before You Die’, ‘Happy Now’ and ‘Fast Cars’ are plain bland and ultimately forgettable. Bon Jovi’s latest album isn’t quite the return to form they were promising, nor does it sound like a band rediscovering a sound that made them so great in the first place. But what ‘The Circle’ does have over their last few albums is a greater number of good songs over the bad, which means that at least Bon Jovi have managed to deliver an album that is consistent for the most part. And when you take into account the albums Bon Jovi have churned out in recent years, it’s clear that ‘The Circle’ really is one of their better efforts.