Bon Jovi - The Circle Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 11.10.2009

Bon Jovi is back with their best work in probably ten years or more.



Bon Jovi - The Circle
Review by Daniel Wilcox

Jon Bon Jovi – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Richie Sambora – guitar
Hugh McDonald - bass
David Bryan – keyboards
Tico Torres – drums

Track listing:
1. We Weren’t Born to Follow
2. When We Were Beautiful
3. Work for the Working Man
4. Superman Tonight
5. Bullet
6. Thorn in My Side
7. Live Before You Die
8. Brokenpromiseland
9. Love’s the Only Rule
10. Fast Cars
11. Happy Now
12. Learn to Love

Bon Jovi is a band that has played more live shows to more rabid fans than just about any body else in the business and The Circle, the band’s eleventh full studio album, has got enough foot-stompers on to ensure that the band can half at least a few more successful world tours off of the back of it. Considering that this is a band that’s been going strong for more than two and a half decades, it’s no surprise that they’ve spent the last decade experimenting with their sound somewhat. They kicked off the decade with the rip-roaring “It’s My Life” from the album Crush, and since then have ventured into a more electronic sound on Bounce [2002], and dabbled in country music on 2007’s Lost Highway. The Circle, however, is a fresh Bon Jovi, bringing a sound as high octane as the band were back when they were still fresh-faced in the mid-eighties. But they don’t sound like a 80s hair metal band trying to recapture their youth. They sound fresh, re-energized and modern. This album will help them fit in perfectly in the modern rock scene, and although lead single “We Weren’t Born to Follow” is fairly forgettable, forthcoming single “When We Were Beautiful,” although it seems to be harping back to a time when they were kings, is absolutely epic and will dominate radio for the next few months, I predict.

The aforementioned “When We Were Beautiful” is right up there behind “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” as the band’s absolute best, its thumping drums no doubt ensuring that this’ll be a huge fan favourite at concerts. It’s not the only huge track on the album though, far from it. “Superman Tonight” sounds like it’s come straight from a soundtrack of some epic movie with an indestructible hero, probably Bruce Willis. Similarly, “Bullet” is very anthemic, with a kick ass intro and guitar work, but it’s dragged down by weak lyricism on the chorus. “Brokenpromiseland” has possibly the biggest chorus in the history of music and like the second single, will be a huge favourite at the band’s inevitable gigs. The album-closer “Learn to Love” is an emphatic finish that announces the return of the band at its best, and “Love’s the Only Rule” is another mammoth track that already has Bon Jovi fans raving.

It’s not all potential though, as there’s quite a bit of filler on here, as there has been on all Bon Jovi records not named Slippery When Wet. “Happy Now” is lyrically strong but lacks any real sort of passion to make it memorable, and “Fast Cars” is just terribly bland and uninspired. “Live Before You Die” is similar to “Happy Now” in that it fails to make an impact but does have its strong lyrical moments that may resonate, and that single “We Weren’t Born to Follow” serves as a limp introduction to an otherwise huge album, and I’ll go on record in saying that it is definitely a really poor choice for lead single and album-opener.

So essentially what we have here is about what I and most fans probably expected. After the poorly received Lost Highway the band have gone back to a more conventional sound which fans will likely appreciate. As expected there’s a fair amount of filler on here, butr the good stuff is really good, phenomenal at times, and ranks as the best work the band has done in a good ten years or so. And while I don’t think that The Circle is up there with the band’s very best, it’s probably not too far off and at the very least is one that proves that there’s still a place for this band in 2009, irrespective of how much of that panache has eroded. This is a band that has been rocking since the beginning of time and on this basis, they have absolutely no plans to stop any time soon, and I’m absolutely fine with that.

Essential downloads: “When We Were Beautiful,” “Superman Tonight,” “Bullet,” “Brokenpromiseland,” “Love’s the Only Rule” and “Learn to Love.”

The 411: It's Bon Jovi, so you should know what to expect. There are some absolutely unstoppable choruses here, complete with great vocal work by the man himself Jon Bon Jovi, and some very accomplished guitar work from Richie Sambora. The two of them combine to make a song-writing duo that is producing some of its best work in a very long time, and a couple of duds aside, this album is an absolute treat to listen to, even if it's not in the same league as the band's more classic records.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]