Bon Jovi: What About Now

Over the last three decades, Bon Jovi have proven time and time again that, much like Rocky Balboa or Count Dracula, you can’t keep them down for long. In the ‘80s, they almost single-handedly made cock rock an unstoppable commercial success, in the ‘90s they weathered the alternative storm admirably (while even beating some grunge bands at their own game thanks to their mega-selling MTV Unplugged album) and a decade later they became firm, kinda cuddly fixtures in the mainstream media, despite a past littered with pleather trousers, pink cowboy boots, poodle haircuts and enough wine and women to keep Caligula content.

In 2013, Bon Jovi’s hunger to remain on top is still as strong as ever, witness the rather grown-up sounding What About Now. After wisely opting to leave the histrionics of the likes of ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ behind, the band’s current modus operandi is to make country-tinged anthems about blue-collar workers that feature bombastic choruses tailor-made to be sung in stadia worldwide (‘Because We Can’, ‘That’s What The Water Made Me’) – and for the most part it makes for a fun listen.
Album highlight is ‘What’s Left Of Me’ which features classic Jovi-lyrics about a washed-up newspaper hack lamenting the death of CBGB’s, backed by a Ronnie Wood-esque guitar-line and replete with a catchy hook which calls to mind the band’s old classic ‘Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night’. The shamelessly cheesy ‘Army Of One’ and ‘The Fighter’ don’t fare quite so well. Thus, while What About Now is not nearly in the same league as Slippery When Wet, it’s a solid effort. Followers will doubtless keep the faith.