We are now to the band’s twelfth studio album and the last one to feature original guitarists, Richie Sambora. The album came out on March 8, 2013 in Australia and March 12, 2013 in the U.S. where it was the third straight Bon Jovi album to go #1, fifth overall. The album has gone on to sell over 200,000 copies in the U.S., but their biggest success is still overseas where the album has sold over 1.5 million copies. Crazy numbers to me for a band that was well past their prime…at least that is my opinion…I guess a lot of people might disagree with those numbers.

The band at this point is unchanged with Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres, David Bryan and Richie Sambora, but don’t forget Hugh McDonald on bass who hasn’t yet been promoted to full fledged member which I find strange. But that changes eventually. And sadly, at the helm is still John Shanks who has turned the band in to a predictable, paint-by-numbers band that has lost all creativity and imagination. There is no painting outside the lines on this album. You’ve heard it all before. They have turned into a band that tries to be positive and encouraging in their lyrics in a world that is much darker. It feels forced and is presented in a way that might seem bright and fun, but it is boring and a wonderful cure for insomnia. Am I being too harsh? We will see…

“Because We Can” opens with some gang vocals spouting positive affirmations that is bouncy, bright and full of sunshine. And about as exciting as a root canal. And sadly, it is one of the better songs on the album. It is fun, catchy and has a great hook…but holy crap how many times do we need the same song that has been on every album of this millennium but with different titles…hello, “It’s My Life”, “Have a Nice Day”, “Undivided”…should I go on…I think not. This was the first single and it made it to the Adult Top 40 and not the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40, so you know the band is now full on AOR. That speaks volumes.

The next track, “I’m With You”, does contain a killer guitar solo, but that is about it. There is a weird effect on Jon’s vocals that I don’t particularly care for. The song isn’t a ballad and yet not heavy enough to be a rocker, despite that solo. It drones on and on and doesn’t do much for me at all. I want to like it, but can’t.

The title track, “What About Now”, opens with a very nice guitar riff. It is more positive affirmations, however, finally delivered in a nice shiny package that has a little heart to it. The song is catchy, it has a nice hook. It feels more like the old band still had a little life. But come on, does every song have to be so positive and an anthem to feel good, work hard and live life to the fullest. I feel like I’m at a conference with nothing but motivational speakers and it gets tiring. Still, good song.

Then we get to “Pictures of You” and finally a song that might be one of the best on the album. Another upbeat track and Jon sounds great on this one. He actually sounds like he might like this song too compared to some of the others where he sounds like he is just going through the process. Personally, I like songs that have pictures or about pictures in the song. I like the chorus and it grabs hold. I connect to this one so it is easier for me to like it and you should too!!

“Amen” is an acoustic track, it slows things down and puts me to sleep faster than a whole bottle of melatonin. The song has no major difference between verse and chorus and nothing that hooks you in. This is one of those songs that feels like they are going through the motions, following a formula and leaving out all the heart and soul. It is a been there, done that sort of thing. Is this Jon’s version of “Hallelujah”?? If so, big miss!!

Things pick back up with “That’s What the Water Made Me” and this song has grown on me. Especially with that chorus as it so contagious and I find myself singing it long after it is over. It is bouncy and all that stuff I complained about earlier…but I like it. It is at least memorable and not many of these songs are.

“What’s Left of Me” is just freaking awful. It has a country twang, cringy-ass lyrics and nothing redeeming about it in the least. Jon’s ability to write story songs is long since past and we given something that sounds like my two year old could right (sorry, I lied, I don’t have a two year old, but you get my point).

“Army of One” opens with a great organ sound and some pounding Tico drums. I did not like this song when I first heard it as I thought it was another song with corny lyrics. And that is true, but something about it got better with each listen. It has a stadium anthem feel and I can see the crowd getting in to it if played live. It has those gang vocals on the chorus and it is pretty hook. Yes, these positive type, inspirational songs are a dime a dozen with these guys, but this one is a step above and catchy enough to stick with you.

Another ballad is up next and this one, “Thick as Thieves”, is about as tiresome as it gets. This album has None, Zero good ballads. Bon Jovi has written some of the best ballads out there, but that ability is long gone. When you’ve written some of the best, how do you come up with anything new. You don’t.

“Beautiful World” is a punchy, upbeat track and thank goodness. The more upbeat songs on this album are the only ones that are halfway decent. I mean there is nothing new here, but it is fun and gets you moving a little.

“Room at the End of The World” has a great title as it is one of my favorite songs that Matt Nathanson does, but this is Bon Jovi’s own song with the same title and you know, I like it too (not as much as Matt’s different version, same name). This is the type of song I expect from Bon Jovi. A great story, a great chorus and heart. Another track that has rights to best on the album.

Then we get “The Fighter”, a full on rock anthem that will get you pumped up and ready to take on the world. Wait…it’s not? Really? But the title makes you think it would be. Nope…an acoustic song that has no fight in it whatsoever. It is like they were paid to throw the fight and they took the money and laid down. It has this Young Guns II soundtrack western guitar and no thank you, this is 2013, don’t want that sound anymore. Oh, this is bad.

Now, my version of the album is The Deluxe Edition with 3 extra tracks and let’s see how they hold up…“With These Two Hands” has some weird pop music opening, upbeat, and not that bad…hell, better than a lot of the tracks on the regular album. Yes, it is all this positive crap like every song, but it has some punch to it and memorable, to some degree.

My favorite bonus track is “In To The Echo”. This one grabbed hold of me and I liked it from the first time I heard it. Jon sounds great and that chorus is stellar. His sweeping vocals soar on this one and I love the echo they add on his vocals during that chorus. It is a sappy little song, mid-tempo and a good beat, but I really dig it. It just reminds me of a time when I thought Bon Jovi wrote good songs.

The final bonus track is actually a Jon Bon Jovi solo song that was on the soundtrack to the movie “Stand Up Guys”. The song is called “Not Running Anymore” and it is a slow, acoustic track and about as fun as watching paint dry, grass grow and any other stupid thing you want to compare it to that is boring. Well, half the album was pretty awful for me so why not end it with one. But 2 out of 3 of the bonus tracks were decent so maybe they should’ve asked me to do the track listing and I could’ve turned this in to a decent album.

Now, while on tour in support of the album, the band had a small break and when it was time to return, Richie Sambora decided it was time to end his tenor with the band and never caught his plane. He felt the band was going in the wrong direction and wasn’t happy with what he was doing. Plus, with personal issues that needed to be taken care of he up and quit. I’ll admit it wasn’t handled well, but honestly, I can’t blame him. He has been missed and he was missing a lot from this album as his vocals were not utilized at all in the backing vocals and the band was now not for him.

Track Listing:

1. Because We Can – Keeper (1/2 Point)
2. I’m With You – Delete
3. What About Now – Keeper
4. Pictures of You – Keeper
5. Amen – Delete
6. That’s What the Water Made Me – Keeper
7. What’s Left of Me – Delete
8. Army of One – Keeper
9. Thick as Thieves – Delete
10. Beautiful World – Keeper (1/2 Point)
11. Room at the End of the World – Keeper
12. The Fighter – Delete
13. With These Two Hands – Keeper (1/2 Point)
14. Into the Echo – Keeper
15. Not Running Anymore – Delete

The Track Score is 7.5 out of 15 Tracks or 50%.  I think I summed up this album in the beginning…And sadly, at the helm is still John Shanks who has turned the band in to a predictable, paint-by-numbers band that has lost all creativity and imagination. There is no painting outside the lines on this album. You’ve heard it all before. They have turned into a band that tries to be positive and encouraging in their lyrics in a world that is much darker. It feels forced and is presented in a way that might seem bright and fun, but it is boring and a wonderful cure for insomnia. Now, was I being too harsh?  A little because half of this album is actually really good…not great, but really good.  There are no songs I’d consider “Classic Bon Jovi”, but “Into the Echo”, “What About Now” and “Room at the End Of the World” have a shot maybe one day.  My Overall Score is a 2.0 out of 5.0 Stars…Borderline awful, definitely not great, just so-so.

NEXT UP: BON JOVI – ‘LIVE E.P.’ (RSD – 2013)

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 – Forever (2024)
64. Bon Jovi – “Legendary” – 7″ Single (2024)
65. 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