Bon Jovi - The Circle

Heard the new album...no country influence at all...lots of modern rock/Coldplay vibe in some of the rhythms and instrumentation...Jon sounds good...it sounds like later Bon Jovi mixed w/ later Goo Goo Dolls and Coldplay...even little bits of Matchbox Twenty in there...

But sadly I'm underwhelmed...one spin and I was bored already...even hit the skip button a couple times...I'm sure the record will do well for them, but I just can't get into it...

Out of respect for my once fanboy-dom, I'll give it a few more spins...they promised a big Rock record so maybe I was expecting too much...

I don't have this yet, but I will certainly get it! I've never once been disappointed with anything Bon Jovi has released though. I gotta admit I'm a Bon Jovi fanboy. They can do no wrong.

I don't think he could ever top Keep The Faith, one of my favoirte albums of all time (especially the song Dry County).

DallasBlack wrote:

I don't think he could ever top Keep The Faith, one of my favoirte albums of all time (especially the song Dry County).

That's a good album.

However, IMHO - "New Jersey" and "Slippery When Wet" are both superior albums.

Metallic Blaze wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

I don't think he could ever top Keep The Faith, one of my favoirte albums of all time (especially the song Dry County).

That's a good album.

However, IMHO - "New Jersey" and "Slippery When Wet" are both superior albums.

What about the song Dry County though? That song is no only the best Bon Jovi song I've ever heard but one of the best songs ever.

Oh yes, you will get no argument from me about "Keep the Faith". It would be in my top 5 Bon Jovi albums for sure! I was just saying I prefer NJ and SWW. But it's not by a whole lot.

I'm on my 3rd spin...1st spin I was unimpressed (I was looking for the big Rock record Jon was promising)...2nd spin I was hearing how different this was from HaND and LH...my 3rd spin now and I hear a lot of later U2 influence (from 2000 onward) in the arrangements...the melodies are beginning to sink and it's starting to sound like Bon Jovi 2009..."Work For The Working Man" is probably my least fave so far (though it reminds me of John Mellencamp ala Scarecrow)...

And These Days is my favorite Bon Jovi album...

Shiney, who was producer on the album? I am curious since you mentioned a bit of later day U2 influence.

manny wrote:

Shawn, who was producer on the album? I am curious since you mentioned a bit of later day U2 influence.

John Shanks

There is clearly a lot of All The You Can't Leave Behind type of influence...songs like "When We Were Beautiful" and "Broken Promiseland" and "Love's The Only Rule"...it sounds almost as if Edge/Bono co-wrote w/ Jon/Richie...even some of Jon's phrasing is Bono-esque...there's an atmospheric/layered quality to the songs that is reminiscent of 21st century U2...still has that Jon Bon Jovi/Jersey boy slant to it though...

I'm really curious after you list those bands, of who I only like U2.

I love the song Dry County, best Springsteen song he never wrote.

Never heard of John Shanks, I'll have to see who else he has produced besides the new Bon Jovi album.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I'm on my 3rd spin...1st spin I was unimpressed (I was looking for the big Rock record Jon was promising)...2nd spin I was hearing how different this was from HaND and LH...my 3rd spin now and I hear a lot of later U2 influence (from 2000 onward) in the arrangements...the melodies are beginning to sink and it's starting to sound like Bon Jovi 2009..."Work For The Working Man" is probably my least fave so far (though it reminds me of John Mellencamp ala Scarecrow)...

And These Days is my favorite Bon Jovi album...

OH WOW! That sounds incredible!!! I love U2 even moreso than Bon Jovi, so this comparison really excites me! I will have to get this one and soon!

Oh, and "These Days" is a fantastic album!

manny wrote:

Never heard of John Shanks, I'll have to see who else he has produced besides the new Bon Jovi album.

John Shanks has produced:

1998: Ask Anybody by Swirl 360
1999: Breakdown by Melissa Etheridge
2000: If These Walls Could Talk 2 by Various Artists (soundtrack)
2000: Sooner or Later by BBMak
2000: Bounce by Various Artists (soundtrack)
2000: Now You See Inside by SR-71
2001: Sweet November by Various Artists (soundtrack)
2001: Trouble in Shangri-La by Stevie Nicks
2001: The Spirit Room by Michelle Branch
2002: Surrender by Laura Pausini
2002: Elva by Unwritten Law
2002: Always Got Tonight by Chris Isaak
2002: C'mon C'mon by Sheryl Crow
2002: Rip It Off by Stroke 9
2003: Say You Will by Fleetwood Mac
2003: Hotel Paper by Michelle Branch
2003: Falling Uphill by Lillix
2003: Go by Vertical Horizon
2003: Strays by Jane's Addiction
2003: Metamorphosis by Hilary Duff
2003: The Very Best of Sheryl Crow by Sheryl Crow (greatest hits)
2004: Lucky by Melissa Etheridge
2004: Anastacia by Anastacia
2004: So-Called Chaos by Alanis Morissette
2004: Autobiography by Ashlee Simpson
2004: Hilary Duff by Hilary Duff
2004: Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
2004: Blue Skies by Diana DeGarmo
2004: Be Here by Keith Urban
2004: Underneath by Hanson
2004: Speak by Lindsay Lohan
2005: Never Gone by Backstreet Boys
2005: Most Wanted by Hilary Duff (compilation)
2005: Have a Nice Day by Bon Jovi
2005: Wildflower by Sheryl Crow
2005: I Am Me by Ashlee Simpson
2005: Somebody's Miracle by Liz Phair
2005: Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled by Melissa Etheridge (greatest hits)
2005: The Collection by Alanis Morissette (greatest hits)
2005: Pieces of a Dream by Anastacia
2005: The Real Thing by Bo Bice
2006: Fortuneteller's Melody by SHeDAISY
2006: Stand Still, Look Pretty by The Wreckers
2006: Beautiful World by Take That
2007: Taking Chances by Céline Dion
2007: In This Life by Delta Goodrem
2007: Unbreakable by Backstreet Boys
2007: Greatest Hits by Sara Evans
2007: E² by Eros Ramazzotti
2008: Do You Know by Jessica Simpson
2008: The Circus by Take That
2009: Mr. Lucky by Chris Isaak
2009: The Time Of Our Lives by Miley Cyrus
2009: To Love Again by Alesha Dixon

Wow, he's got quite the resume'.

That new Bon Jovi song reminds me of "Born To Be My Baby".

Getizzyback wrote:

That new Bon Jovi song reminds me of "Born To Be My Baby".

I can kinda see that.

I like it myself.

Yeah, "We Weren't Born To Follow" has a chord progression on the chorus that reminds me a tiny bit of "Born To Be My Baby"...without quite ripping themselves off, as it were...the bass line to "Work For The Working Man" is also reminiscent of "Livin' On A Prayer"...but overall that song has a sort of Jon Bon Jovi meets John Mellencamp vibe on it...has a similar vibe to "Rain On The Scarecrow" without sounding like it, if that makes any sense.

Repeated listens are leaving my unimpressed first impressions in the dust...this is quite possibly the best thing they've done since These Days...

i like it. im not much into BJ albums but this one got me. something different is in there. hope for EU tour in 2010 as always.
new BJ sound like some of old timer in new waves. as i said like it. gonna listen over and over again.
i like melodic, slow, ...style.

The more I listen to this album, the more I like it...

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The more I listen to this album, the more I like it...

It's a step above Lost Highway and Have a Nice Day, but it doesn't even come close to Bounce, IMO.

#1 on Billboard, BTW. 163K. That's great because they don't really seem to be a band that gets a lot of press or radio play when it comes to new albums. They get by based on name alone.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

The more I listen to this album, the more I like it...

And the more I listen to it still, it's starting to go cold...

Not going to be one I listen to a lot but it's better then recent stuff imo. He seems to want to be Springsteen on some songs.

I played it a few times and put it up. Doubt it will ever get spun again. The last few albums have shown me that Bon Jovi is just plain washed up.