Powerstars

As much as I love Bon Jovi, even I have to admit that their recent albums haven't been as good as I'd been hoping. He's been singing the same songs about the everyman fighting the battle of life, with occasional variety. "Lost Highway" was full of dissapointing country schlock, while still listenable, it wasn't all that great minus a couple tracks. "The Circle" was a great return to form, but it didn't really do anything new, nor did it rock hard enough. With a quick track by track analysis, let's see if this one did any better.

1. Because We Can
Whoa. Right off the bat, we have something way different from anything the band has ever done before. Very poppy, but with generic Bon Jovi lyrics. Catchy, but not terribly special.

2. I'm With You
From the very beginning with the reversed guitars, I was hooked on this song. Described by a random friend of mine as "the perfect song to get stoned to," this track is, unlike the opener, something very special indeed. Why couldn't this have been the lead single?

3. What About Now
Generic Bon Jovi at it's finest. Out of all the songs on the album, this sounds the most like their older output. Generic, but not in a bad way. Generic in a very enjoyable way.

4. Pictures Of You
Intro is very '80s poppish, not Bon Jovish, but I like the '80s, so it's awesome. This is the kind of song filled with emotion that causes me to always sing along to the chorus in an out of tune manner. The solo is also really dissonant against the backing track, and it is glorious.

5. Amen
Kinda boring and not that memorable, but not all that bad. Mediocre.

6. That's What The Water Made Me
One of those songs designed to drive the crowd wild at concerts. No really. I went to his concert, and this song drove the crowd wild. Lyrics are Bon Jovi at their Bon Jovi-ist.

7. What's Left Of Me
More like "What's Left Of Lost Highway," this song has a bit of a country twang to it, which disappointed me, because it shouldn't have that twang. It's still a really good song.

8. Army Of One
Keyboard in the intro is pretty awesome. It's an awesome song, but once again, it's Jon writing about what Jon really freaking likes to write about. Catchy, no less.

9. Thick As Thieves
Chorus is okay, rest is forgettable.

10. Beautiful World
Pretty good song, kinda forgettable. I don't know why, but it kinda sounds like The Killers to me. Maybe it's just me.

11. Room At The End Of The World
Dreamlike and cool. It's lyrics are like half-generic Bon Jovi, half-not. It's cool, but, once again rather forgettable.

12. The Fighter
Nice little acoustic ending song. Not forgettable, not memorable. Nevertheless, a good way to end the album.

CONCLUSION: Bon Jovi has redeemed itself after a bad album and a mediocre album, they've showed they still have a huge load of rock left in them

Final Score: 75/100 (Pretty Dang Good)

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