As a long standing Bon Jovi fan, the prospect of a new album was a very exciting thought. What I discovered as the 12 tracks of What About Now unfolded was still familiar but features an array of ballads with only a few tracks of that true stadium rock anthem sound that we all love of Bon Jovi’s past releases.
Four years on from their last album, there is a distinct change in many of their tracks. ‘Because We Can’ didn’t make a great impression in the first 30 seconds, as it was such a pop sound, but it has grown on me with repeated listens. Despite the first few bars of the guitar line being recycled from ‘Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars’ (Crush, 2000), there is a nice new twist to it that is very appealing to my senses. This song does, however, have a strong storyline. The lyrics are relatable and following songs like ‘It’s My Life’, there are many listeners out there that will connect to this.
It is hard to create your art in whatever form and expect to please everyone, particularly over the years, you grow and change and get older. Throughout this album there are a variety of elements that will stand out to different people. On ‘Pictures of You’, Richie Sambora’s guitar might jump out at some, ‘Because We Can’ and ‘I’m With You’ will attract others with the lyrics. It is worth the time to let it unfold and see what jumps out at you.
There is no doubt that over a career spanning 30 years, an evolution and growth is unavoidable, and in this time, there are new generations of fans tuning in. Over time they have progressively lost their hard rock roots with their sound now being more pop-rock and melodic, and with this there is a chance they could risk losing a few of those dedicated fans. I would be very interested to see how these tracks transform into the live setting without the production and the scrutiny that occurs in the studio.
In quite a few tracks, it feels that they are trying to play it safe in contrast to the tracks they are best remembered for from past albums. They are the risky ones where they really experiment with sound, like ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’, ‘Born to be my Baby’, and ‘Bed of Roses’, you hear these start on the radio and you know what is coming and just cant help but sing along. While some of the songs still echo that style from previous albums, the themes of military, politics and broken hearts make this album a bit washy from their strong well-known anthems like ‘Have A Nice Day’ and ‘Everyday’.
While you can never mistake Sambora’s sound, he seems suppressed in not being given the opportunity for many big hooks, or to let lose on any of the tracks. ‘I’m With You’ comes close to that stadium rock anthem we all love to hear but just doesn’t quite hit its peak. ‘What About Now’ gets a little closer with the drums and guitar really stepping up a notch.
Overall it is an album I will listen to again, but there is no distinct strong songs that jump out as one of those to join the list of their immortal tracks. In accepting that this band will keep changing and are unable to return to their origin of hard rock, you will enjoy this album. It is one that will attract a variety of opinions, so give the whole album a listen before making the judgment for yourself.
Island Records / Universal
6 / 10
Reviewer: Courtney Laura