BON JOVI – Forever (Album Review)

Comeback

Bon Jovi’s comeback album!  That’s what I’ve heard it called.  Um, No.  Crush was their comeback album.  This is more of a “we are still here album”.  Many of the songs are reflective, looking back on a long successful career.  I’m ok with that.  They have a lot to be proud of & many stories to tell.  Forever is a decent album, it’s not These Days but it’s a huge improvement from their last album 2020.

The Elephant in The Room

Before I get into the tracks, I’ve gotta bring up the elephant in the room.  Jon’s voice.  His voice has been a huge topic of discussion in the Jovi circle for many years.  Even before the Meta social media, there were discussion groups and after every show there was the inevitable question “but how was Jon’s voice?”  For the most part it was “great” he always had moments and songs that he struggled with “Always” being a big one but he could still put on a killer 2+ hour show.

But last tour was different.  I went to a few shows where JBJ sounded pretty bad and he really struggled especially with the older songs.  As a long-time fan it was difficult to hear.  After those shows rumors about his voice were spreading like wildfire.  There were tons of different theories; tumor, hearing problems, thyroid issues, and on and on.  Jon finally addressed the issue in their Rockumentary Thank You & Goodnight.  He disclosed that he had vocal chord atrophy and had recently had surgery in hopes to reverse it.  He said that he’s still unable to do 2+ hour concerts on a full-blown tour but could do an album.  So, now we have Forever with Jon’s “new voice” and he sounds really good!  Hopefully, it will get to the point where they can tour again.

The Tracks

Voice discussed, let’s get to Forever, there’s such a wide range from really good to really bad that I thought it’s necessary to review each track.

“Legendary” was the first release and a great one.  You can tell that it’s a John Shanks era song but it has that Jovi sing-along chorus and all those catchy “oh oh ohs”.  It’s nostalgic and the lyrics are good.  When you hear this song you think “Yup!   This is Bon Jovi!”

“We Made It Look Easy” has some great lyrics. I love the line “we were full of 17” and the shout-back to “Blood on Blood”.  But the song itself doesn’t really grab me and hook me in.  Not sure if it’s one I’ll skip over but so far it hasn’t grown on me.

“Living Proof”  is the gem!  I love this song!  It was the second release and as soon as I heard it my hopes rose for Forever that we would get a positive upbeat Bon Jovi album.  This song brings back the beloved “talk box” sound from “Living on a Prayer” and “It’s My Life” that just screams Bon Jovi.  “Living Proof” also has something most of Forever is missing…Cool guitar riffs!  This song makes the album for me.

“Waves” is decent.  It also has some good guitar riffs and a solo.  Like I said, there’s not a lot of stand-out guitar work on Forever so I appreciate it when I hear it.

“Seeds” I just can’t take seriously.  The lyrics are so corny (haha yeah pun intended).  It’s also a damn earworm.  Of all the songs on Forever this is what gets stuck in my head.  Thanks a lot Bon Jovi!

“Kiss the Bride”,  the song that made me realize I’m heartless.  So many fans are commenting that they were bawling listening to this song and how beautiful it is.   Even Ed Sheeran said it was brilliant or something like that.  I guess the brilliance is that he wrote a song that will probably be played at every wedding from now until eternity, but to me this song is boring and cliché.  If that makes me unsentimental and heartless, so be it.  But I’ll be skipping this one.

“The People’s House” belongs on This House is Not for Sale.  Rehashed lyrics and sound from that album.  Even brought back the wrecking ball.  It’s ok.  Not bad.  Just same ole same ole.

“Walls Of Jericho” is THE power anthem on Forever.  I would have loved to have had the album full of songs like this and “Living Proof”!  “Walls” is a great Bon Jovi tune.  I can picture them doing this live and screaming  “one more time with FEELING”!  And I love the line “No Amen or Hallelujah this is a song for everyone”.  Yes, Bon Jovi it is!

“I Wrote You a Song” sweetly sentimental but boring.

“Living in Paradise” is another just so-so.  Not a lot to this one.

“My First Guitar” Nooo!  Ahhhhh!  I saw the title track before the CD was released and I thought “I’m gonna love that song” I couldn’t wait to hear it. Then I did and I’m so disappointed.  It just does not work for me.  I originally thought maybe it would grow on me but it won’t because I’m just gonna skip it.  Bummer!

“Hollow Man”  is a decent haunting ballad.  It’s got a Pink Floyd “Mother” vibe going.  There’s a funny line in it, that does “get me to smile”.   When I sat down and wrote out my review (Yes- I actually handwrite my reviews, old school style) I couldn’t get the “Mother” connection out of my head so I originally said it was just ok.  But it has grown on me and now I think it’s slightly better than ok.

More guitar, Please!

I’ve been a Bon Jovi fan more than half my life now.  I’ve lost count of how many shows I’ve seen and how many cities I’ve seen them in.  They are a huge part of my childhood and adulthood and I have many “Jovi Friends” so as I write this I know I’ll get some flack for not being a “loyal fan” and loving every song.  But I’d rather give an honest review.

So, to sum it up Bon Jovi’s Forever has a few gems, some so-sos and a couple of complete duds where I can’t hit the skip button fast enough.  It’s definitely not my favorite of theirs but it’s much better than 2020, which was my hope.  I think knowing the story behind Jon’s voice struggles and the effort he made to get his voice to where it is now, makes Forever even better.  However, if JBJ ever came up to me and asked me for one piece of advice it would be “you have Phil X, an amazing guitar player, for Christ sakes, USE HIM!”

6.5/10

Bon Jovi Forever

Release Date June 7, 2024

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Check out more of my CGCM album reviews here. Kryfar