After Bon Jovi’s very successful ‘These Days’ album and especially that tour which ran for 126 shows in around 43 countries, the band was ready for a break. The tour ended on July 19, 1996 and the band decided, it was time for a hiatus from the band. They did a self-imposed two year break from the band. That 2 year break would turn in to 3, but no one is counting. During that time, we saw solo albums, Jon went and did a lot of acting and the thoughts that Bon Jovi were done were on everyone’s mind.

Jon didn’t waste any time and was the first with a solo album as he beat Richie by about a year. Jon’ second solo album is called ‘Destination Anywhere’ which he was working on even during the “These Days Tour”. It was finished around January 1997 and it came out on June 16, 1997 which is a long time after the album was finished. A lot of that had to do with Jon’s little vanity project of ‘Destination Anywhere’…the FILM! I don’t actually own a copy and won’t be reviewing, but I’ve heard nothing good about it. It was a movie with some big stars all surrounded by the songs from the album, but this wasn’t a concept album. The songs were just in the film.

The album saw Jon break away from the Bon Jovi sound which a good solo album would do. It was more Indie Rock and Pop then the glam rock that Bon Jovi did and for that I was super excited because if I want to hear Bon Jovi, I’ll listen to Bon Jovi. I want to hear what he can do outside of that arena and this was a great set of songs to showcase he could do more. And he filled it with a lot of influence from British bands as well like Blur and Manic Street Preachers which is completely unexpected.

The album saw four singles, it had four producers other than Jon and it was filled with talented musicians as you’d expect. Heck, a could of the Bon Jovi boys appeared on the album as well (not Richie though). the album would go to #2 in the UK and sell over a million copies in Europe, but it only hit #31 in the US and not sure how many it sold. This continued the success of the band on Jon more overseas than in the states.

The first song on the album is “Queen of New Orleans” which was co-written and produced by Dave Stewart of the The Eurythmics. Jon met Dave at a party by Demi Moore who wound up in the film. The guitar sound on the opening was not what you’d expect, it had abandoned any arena rock sound. Jon’s vocals were monotone and almost matter-of-factly presented. The female backing vocals gave it a little soul along with the bass line. It made me stop and take notice that this was going to be different and I welcomed it. This went to #10 in the UK #1 on their Rock Radio as well.

“Janie, Don’t Take Your Love Town” opens with string orchestration and then sees the guitars come in with a shuffling vibe. The song was inspired by a fight with his wife while in Amsterdam on tour. It has Britpop sonics and sees Jon give it his all and you can feel his passion. There is also a great solo in the song that I like. Another different, yet pretty cool track. The song would hit #13 in the UK.

Then we get to a favorite track of mine with “Midnight in Chelsea” which also saw the help of Dave Stewart. The song had a little funk, just listen to the bass, and there was a drum loop that was taken from the world of hip hop. The “sha-la-la’s” harkened back to the era of early R&B. This song is a more mature and refined Jon and there is so much going on with this one that I hear something different everytime I give it a listen. Perfection. The song went to #4 in the UK and actually charted in the States.

Then we go in to another favorite of mine with “Ugly”. The opening guitar riffs are a little twangy, but they are bright and vibrant and full of color. Written with Eric Bazillian of The Hooters, the song could’ve been a power ballad, but instead it was left as a straight ballad. A lot of tongue-in-cheek lyrics with a chorus that gets stuck in your head and you will sing long after the album is over. It is Jon speaking to someone that feels ugly, but he is telling them if they could see themselves through his eyes, they would know they are beautiful. A beautiful song. And fun fact, there is a tuba played in the song and it is played by Desmond Child.

The slow ballads continue with “Staring at Your Window with a Suitcase in My Hand” and sees Jon really pour out his feelings. The guitar has a cowboy vibe to it and there is an overall sadness as he prepares to leave his love as he’s been hurt too many times.

“Every Word was a Piece of My Heart” is a confession that every word he wrote or spoke was all he had to give. It was honest and unapologetic and written in Vienna while on the road with the band. Another song with a chorus that just grabs you around the neck and gets you singing and a solo that fits perfectly within the song. It is sad, but musically uplifting and a real catchy tune. The album version was produced by Stephen Lironi. There is a Dave Stewart produced version that wound up as a B-Side which has a slightly different vibe.

We dive back in to another ballad with “It’s Just Me” and the opening percussion work sounds so lonely and the guitars weep with sadness. A very depressing tune yet Jon’s vocals slice through it and deliver one of his better performances on the album. The song is a little monotonous with the drum beat, but does the song just stick with you. The guitar solo is little pieces of heaven in the song and it is short and sweet. The song flows like a river and washes over you drenching you with the sadness.

“Destination Anywhere” picks things up and is another fantastically written song. The song is about a man stuck in the monotony of life and is wanting to escape. Get in his car and drive. My guess is the band had him feeling stuck and he just needed to get out and go anywhere but there. The song has great melodies and the keyboards at a nice touch giving the song a brightness. The upbeat track gives hope and life to the lyrics which will resonate with a lot of people.

Next we get “Learning How To Fall” which for some reason had an Alanis Morrisette vibe to it. It had a funky beat and some cool Hugh MacDonald bass lines and Kenny Arnoff drum beats as well as some programmed drums as well. A well placed harmonica at the end is a nice touch. A song that went from slow to upbeat and back and forth. It is a good track, but doesn’t stand out as much as other tracks.

“Naked” is up next and sees a more rocking track layered with some funk. The chorus is big and the lyrics tell you to strip it all back and bare all and show yourself for who you really are. Be vulnerable and honest. There is a point right before the chorus where Jon’s vocals sound like he is speaking through a radio and it is a cool effect. The song gets cranking by the end and it is a really cool, modern rock song.

The song “Little City” is taken from a movie of the same name from that year that Jon was actually in. This was the most Bon Jovi sounding song. He did the rough, gritty vocals and the sonics of the song were reminiscent of the ‘These Days’ album. Not that it is a bad thing, but it does not sound like the rest of the album and isn’t as good as the rest of the album.

One of the best songs on the album is also one of the absolutely saddest songs on the album. The song is “August 7, 4:15” is the exact day and time that the world lost the daughter of Jon’s long time manager Paul Korzilius. It was a sad tragic event that moved Jon to write this song. The song is upbeat with the pounding drums, but the pain is felt through the pounding of the rhythm and the searing guitars. Jon was able to put his song writing craft to use and build a strong story around such a sad story and deliver the goods.

The final track is “Cold Hard Heart” and my least favorite of the songs on the album. Plus, how do you follow the prior song…you can’t. It is an acoustic track, dark and somber and really boring for me. It doesn’t seem to find its footing and goes nowhere. We’ve had enough of these songs on the album and this really could’ve been left off as it would’ve made the album even better. It feels like filler to me and album was already long enough.

Track Listing:

1. Queen of New Orleans – Keeper
2. Janie, Don’t Take Your Love to Town – Keeper
3. Midnight in Chelsea – Keeper
4. Ugly – Keeper
5. Staring at Your Window With a Suitcase in My Head – Keeper
6. Every Word Was A Piece of My Heart – Keeper
7. It’s Just Me – Keeper
8. Destination Anywhere – Keeper
9. Learning How to Fall – Keeper (1/2 Point)
10. Naked – Keeper
11. Little City – Delete
12. August 7, 4:15 – Keeper
13. Cold Hard Heart – Delete

The Track Score is 10.5 Tracks out of 13 or 81%.  This is the type of album I’d always wanted from Jon. One that wasn’t Bon Jovi and sounded different. It was so different than anything else at the time for artist from the 80’s and it saw Jon capture a more Indie, Britpop type sound and it was just what I wanted when it came out.  I feel Jon’s songwriting and sound showed he has matured even more and it also showed that Jon’s life was music, not acting.  Song’s like “Ugly”, “Midnight in Chelsea”, “It’s Just Me” and “August 7, 4:15” all grabbed me and really drew me in to this album.  If you would’ve cut this album down to 10 songs, it would be the perfect album.  But they didn’t, so My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars.  Jon found new musical influences and used them to his advantage and crafted an album that showcased him and his songwriting and for me one of the best Non-Bon Jovi albums to come out of the boys.

NEXT UP: RICHIE SAMBORA – ‘UNDISCOVERED SOUL’ (1998)

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