We are now up to Bon Jovi’s 11th studio album called ‘The Circle’. The band has been on a massive schedule of album, tour, album, tour for years now and honestly the quality is starting to show. Producer John Shanks is back and a lot of people believe that is the problem, but for me it is more than that. It is the fact the fact they are still chasing that hit and everything has become formulaic and tired. More on that later.

For now, let’s discuss the album itself. The title, ‘The Circle’, has many meanings one possible is that they have come full circle back to the rock & roll sound of before after dabbling in to that country genre for a second…a very long second. Or it could be that the band is a circle of guys and that circle is hard to get in to (and hard to get out unless your Richie and you stop showing up – but that hasn’t happened yet and I’m getting ahead of myself). That circle still consists of Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres and David Bryan. Poor Hugh McDonald still hasn’t been made an official member yet, but that will change eventually.

The album was released on November 10, 2009 and sold over 163,000 records in its first week alone. The album would reach #1 on the Billboard Charts and numerous countries around the world. It stayed at #1 for all of one week, but hey, it is a #1 album. It would also go on to Gold Status in the States and 5 other countries as well as Platinum in Canada. The band was still having success, but for me that loyalty had faded and faded fast. It was years after this album was released before I ever bought it and the only reason I pulled it out today, is so I could do a review. And after a couple more listens, my thoughts haven’t changed. Are you ready for it?

The opening track is the song “We Weren’t Born to Follow” and is very typical of every album since 2000. An uplifting song that talks about the tough times people were facing in the current economic environment. It was a charge to arms to stand up for you believe. But like every opening track on the past batch of albums, it feels like a been there and done that kind of song. Yeah, it ain’t bad, but it ain’t anything new either.

“When We Were Beautiful” is up next and it starts off slow, however, with some dramatic drum beats from Tico and gentle picking the song kept building and it started feeling epic in nature. The song never fully reached the heights it seemed to be building to, but it is still head & shoulders above anything else on this album. A well written, well thought out song that is the best thing I’ve heard from them in years. Richie’s solo on here was a standout as well. A piercing sound that went right for the heart. This wasn’t an out and out rocker, but wasn’t really a ballad either. Just a solidly great song.

Then we get “Work For the Working Man” and I know a lot of people like this song. I am not one of them. After decades of making millions, a song like this doesn’t feel authentic anymore. It has an old school Bon Jovi sound which is cool, but these guys are now “The Man” and not the “Working Man”. Yeah, the chorus is kinda catchy but overall it is a tired retread of so many other songs they’ve done. Which for me is a big yawn!!

With “Superman Tonight” we get laid back verses and choruses that explode in your ears. A nice back and forth and plus, who doesn’t love Superman. The chorus is a big payoff and holds the song together. Jon sounds great and the band feels at home here. Now, this one I like a lot as it feels comfortable and real.

“Bullet” comes at your like a bullet. Hard, heavy and loaded with a bang. Lyrically, Jon is still questioning God and talking about how life is hard and tough for everyone. Musically, so many great elements and the heaviness is welcome. Lyrically, the chorus is a little weak and the story has been told by them many times before. A tough one as I like it, but at the same time I don’t. Richie’s blistering solo helps me love it more then not though.

Then we get to “Thorn in My Side” and there is nothing remotely redeeming about this one. It is immediately forgettable and when I got to it again to review it, I couldn’t remember how it even when and when it was over, I couldn’t either. Very generic and very boring despite the upbeat tempo and Tico pounding away at the drums.

“Live Before You Die” opens softly with Jon and David on keys. It sees Jon trying to be deep and meaningful, but instead feels tiresome and generic. A paint by numbers song and they ran out of paint.

If you remember “Garageland” from the Box Set, now we get “BrokenPromiseLand” and the results aren’t any better. We are on a run of songs that are so forgettable and boring. They leave me wanting to know what happened to the band that wrote songs that I felt connected to and longed to hear. Did they change or did I because these songs do nothing for me now. Yeah, this one is catchy at times and some nice moments, but overall…ehh.

With “Love’s the Only Rule”, we get some nice synth work from David, a catchy drum beat from Tico and Jon’s vocals finally have some heart and emotion that I can get in to. An uplifting, mid-tempo song that actually is getting my feet tapping, my head bobbing and is grabbing hold a little. I think it helps that it feels that Jon is in to this song vocally. I can feel it too. And when Richie gets a decent solo, just miss him on the backing vocals…he hasn’t been on too many that I noticed so far.

When I saw the title for the next song, I was hoping for a cover of Tracy Chapman’s song “Fast Car”, but it was far from that. Now, when this song comes on, I turn it off and go listen to Tracy’s song. “Fast Cars” is a slower song, nothing fast about it. And if you are going to have fast in the name, make it go fast. This is slow, meandering and boring song that feels more like a car crash then a car going fast. Next please.

“Happy Now” sees Jon asking if he can be happy now and I hope he can. This song won’t do it completely. Although a little upbeat, it doesn’t fully rock out and we haven’t had many songs that do that and the band needs to do that as it is what they do best. This one is a decent track with some nice moments, but like most songs on here, it is missing something. It isn’t fully flushed out and needs that little something to put it over the top.

The final song is called “Learn to Love” and it slows things down again. A band that use to rock out way more than it does now, really went too mellow for this whole album. The chorus is more irritating then it is catchy. What the heck is “Halle-Halle” anyway. I think I’m going to go take a nap now as this album has put me to sleep.

Track Listing:

1. We Weren’t Born to Follow – Keeper (1/2 Point)
2. When We Were Beautiful – Keeper
3. Work For the Working Man – Delete
4. Superman Tonight – Keeper
5. Bullet – Keeper (1/2 Point)
6. Thorn in My Side – Delete
7. Live Before You Die – Delete
8. Brokenpromiseland – Delete
9. Love’s The Only Rule – Keeper
10. Fast Cars – Delete
11. Happy Now – Keeper (1/2 Point)
12. Learn to Love – Delete

The Track Score is 4.5 out of 12 Tracks or 38%.  My thoughts when I heard this album when it came out and now are no different. I lot of emptiness, a lot of boring and a lot of nothing.  I think the band needs to shake things up and get rid of Shanks as he isn’t pushing them to find anything new or fresh. This is a retread of past albums with less heart and soul.  There is nothing here that feels like the band is in it for the right reasons.  Jon still trying to be Bruce but he isn’t as good a writer and so it comes across as hollow.  Sorry, but it is true.  I miss a Bon Jovi that tried to shake things up and do something a little different. Stop chasing hits and just write songs that actually mean something to you.  My Overall Score is a 2.0 Stars out of 5.0 Stars.  Might be the worst one yet.

NEXT UP: BON JOVI – ‘WHEN WE WERE BEAUTIFUL DOCUMENTARY’ (2009) – DVD REVIEW

THE BON JOVI COLLECTION SERIES:

1. Bon Jovi – The Albums Box Set (2017)
2. Jon Bongiovi – The Power Station Sessions (1980-1983) (2001)
3. Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi (1984)
4. Bon Jovi – Shot Through the Heart: Live in Cleveland, OH March 17, 1984 FM Broadcast (Bootleg)
5. Bon Jovi – “Burning For Love” – 12″ Single – Japanese Edition (1984)
6. Bon Jovi – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985)
7. Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet (1986)
8. Bon Jovi – “Borderline” – 12″ Single – Japanese Edition (1986)
9. Bon Jovi – New Jersey (1988)
10. Bon Jovi – New Jersey: Super Deluxe Edition – Disc 2/DVD (1988)
11. Bon Jovi – “I’ll Be There For You” – Cassette Single (1988)
12. Jon Bon Jovi – Blaze of Glory (1990)
13. Jon Bon Jovi – “Blaze of Glory” – Cassette Single (1990)
14. Richie Sambora – Stranger in this Town (1991)
15. Bon Jovi – Keep the Faith (1992)
16. Bon Jovi – “Keep the Faith” – CD Maxi Single (1992)
17. Bon Jovi – “I Believe” – 7″ Single (1992)
18. Bon Jovi – Cross Road (1994)
19. Bon Jovi – “Please Come Home for Christmas” – CD Single (1994)
20. Bon Jovi – These Days (1995)
21. Bon Jovi – Live From London – DVD (1995)
22. Jon Bon Jovi – Destination Anywhere (1997)
23. Richie Sambora – Undiscovered Soul (1998)
24. Bon Jovi – Crush (2000)
25. Bon Jovi – Live From Osaka E.P. (2000)
26. Bon Jovi – “Thank You For Loving Me” – CD Single (2000)
27. Bon Jovi – The Crush Tour – DVD (2000)
28. Bon Jovi – The Love Songs E.P. (Promo) (2001)
29. Bon Jovi – Tokyo Road: Best of Bon Jovi (2001)
30. Bon Jovi – One Wild Night Live: 1985-2001 (2001)
31. Bon Jovi – Bounce (2002)
32. Bon Jovi – Unauthorized: Rock ‘n Roll Legends – Bootleg DVD (2002)
33. Bon Jovi – Target E.P. (2003)
34. Bon Jovi – This Left Feels Right (2003)
35. Bon Jovi – Wild in the Streets: Unauthorized – Bootleg DVD (2003)
36. Bon Jovi – This Left Feels Right – DVD (2004)
37. Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Part 1) – (2004)
38. Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 1, Part 2) – (2004)
39. Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 2, Part 3) – (2004)
40. Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 3, Part 4) – (2004)
41. Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 4, Part 5) – (2004)
42. Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (Disc 5 & 6, Part 6) – (2004)
43. Bon Jovi – Have a Nice Day (2005)
44. Bon Jovi – Live from the Have a Nice Day Tour (Walmart Exclusive) (2006)
45. Bon Jovi – Lost Highway (2007)
46. Bon Jovi – Lost Highway: The Concert (2007)
47. Bon Jovi – The Circle (2009)
48. Bon Jovi – When We Were Beautiful Documentary DVD (2009)
49. Bon Jovi – Live at Madison Square Garden – DVD (2009)
50. Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection (2009)
51. Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Video Collection – DVD (2010)
52. Bon Jovi – Inside Out – DVD (2012)
53. Richie Sambora – Aftermath of the Lowdown (2012)
54. Bon Jovi – What About Now (2013)
55. Bon Jovi – Live E.P. (RSD – 2013)
56. Bon Jovi – Live 2 E.P. (RSD – 2014)
57. Bon Jovi – Burning Bridges (2015)
58. Bon Jovi – This House is Not For Sale (2016)
59. Bon Jovi – This House is Not For Sale – Live From the London Palladium (2016)
60. Bon Jovi – The Albums Box Set – The Extra LP (2017)
61. RSO – Radio Free America (2018)
62. Bon Jovi – 2020 (2020)
63. Bon Jovi – 40th Anniversary Box Set (TBA – I Hope it is out by the time we get here)

We’ve reviewed a bunch of pieces already over the years and won’t review again. They are as follows:

1. Bon Jovi – The Brotherhood Tour Book (1988-1990)
2. Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi Tour 2011 – Tourbook
3. Bon Jovi – The Rock History – Bootleg CD
4. Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name” – 12″ Single
5. Bon Jovi – “You Give Love a Bad Name” – 7″ Single
6. Bon Jovi – Red Hot & 2 Parts Live E.P. – 12″ Single
7. Bon Jovi – “Wanted Dead or Alive” – 7″ Single
8. Bon Jovi – “Bad Medicine” – 7″ Single
9. Bon Jovi – “Born to Be My Baby” – 7″ Single
10. Bon Jovi – “I’ll Be There For You” – 7″ Single
11. Bon Jovi – “Lay Your Hands on Me” – 7″ Single
12. Bon Jovi – “Living in Sin” – 7″ Single