BON JOVI: Keep The Faith (A.O.R.): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After three albums in a Hard FM - AOR register, the previous opus ("New Jersey") had clearly started a turn towards a style more strongly tinted with rock, even pop-rock. The newcomer comes to confirm this new maturity.

Indeed, the five from New Jersey offer us 13 tracks with multiple influences while keeping a certain homogeneity. If we find the inevitable ballads, trademark of the group, these last ones do not sink in the marshmallow. 'I Want You' finds a good balance between sensitivity and dynamics while 'Bed Of Roses' proposes a rise in power all in emotion. For the rest, the variety of styles goes from the mid-tempo 'In These Arms' to the good hard-rock with 'Fear', even to the heavy with 'If I Was Your Mother', without forgetting the very rock'n'roll 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead', 'Woman In Love' or 'Blame It On The Love Of Rock'n'Roll'. Bon Jovi will even flirt with the progressive throughout the almost 10 minutes of 'Dry County', the longest track of the discography of the group which makes us pass by different atmospheres and with the particularly unchained solo.

Obviously, the presentation of this album would be incomplete if we did not speak about the monumental hit that was the eponymous title and its legendary riff assured by the bass and which made all its originality. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, supported by Bob Rock on production, show their unstoppable sense of melody and unstoppable chorus. It would be unfair to limit the talent of these two musicians only to their capacity to compose hits in series. Indeed, throughout this album, Jon Bon Jovi shows us that he is not only a handsome guy, but also an outstanding singer, capable of conveying multiple emotions thanks to a voice at the same time warm, clear and powerful that he knows how to modulate at will and always in the interest of the song.

As for Richie Sambora, his sense of melody is found not only in riffs of a formidable efficiency, but also in soli where the technique is systematically put at the service of the melody and also in a sense of vocal harmonies always well found. He is joined in this by David Bryan whose discretion should not make us forget the web he weaves with his keyboards and which is so much part of the band's identity. Finally, Tico Torres may not be the most spectacular drummer, but he is probably the best drummer for Bon Jovi thanks to his simple but always efficient playing.

"Keep The Faith" is both a pivotal album and a reference that we are dealing with with this superb "Keep The Faith". One of these albums that come from time to time to prove to us that it is possible to associate great musical qualities and compositions to a commercial success. - Official website

BON JOVI

KEEP THE FAITH

MERCURY

A.O.R.