Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith
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Free Music Notes for Keep the Faith
Free Music Review: This is what rock is all about
Hit: 5 Stars
In the early/mid eighties, a band called Bon Jovi was born. Granted, they did not become a huge commercially successfull rock n' roll powerhouse until their third album, "Slippery When Wet", but these guys have always had talent. As a loyal fan of Bon Jovi, I am correspondingly a huge fan of every record they have ever produced, including 1995's opus "These Days", which for some reason has been bashed by certain so called Jovi followers since the day it was released. As good as that record was, and as good as all of Jon and company's pre-80's pop rock melodies were, none of them can stand up to the wall of musical supremecy which is manifested deeply in 1992's "Keep The Faith".Now many of the reviews below this concentrate on naming the melodic epic "Dry County" as the best track on KEEP THE FAITH. I have to disagree. Not to take a single thing away from "Dry County" - it is great - but to me it captures only the blunt sense of maturity which was catalyzed by the attitide adjustments needed by bands like Bon Jovi when their brand of music was tossed away by great numbers of listeners when the grunge scene opened. And while Jon sings of an un-ordinary rock theme and Richie lets loose one of his finest guitar solos to date, the song lacks in overall Jovi-ness... not to say that a band must always stay the same and never institute musical evoltion - if that were the case this album would never have been released - but it just doesn't fit into what could be called the Bon Jovi scheme of things. Again, this IS a great song, but the above commens are just my justifications of why I don't think "Dry County" is the best song on the record.Conversely, not to sound like I am jumping on the early 90's rock n' roll Top 40 Bandwagon, but in my eyes, you will not find a better song on this album than "Bed of Roses". Not only is this the best cut on KTF, but it is without a doubt the single greatest power ballad in rock culture history. Just turn this song up really loud, clear your mind, and focus on the completeness of this beauty. The piano, as subtle of a part as it may play, is an integral piece of "Bed of Roses", as are Richie's powerful solo (I can't help but picture him atop that mountain like he is in the vid), and of course, Jon's vocals, which soar high above any other song he has ever recorded (the chrorus, listen to the chorus). As an aside, this song contains my all time favorite lyric, "...some blonde gave me nightmares, think that she's still in my bed / as I dream about movies they won't make of me when I'm dead". Again, this is bar none, by far, and definately the greatest rock ballad I have ever heard, and if for some reason you do not yet own this album, it would be worth buying solely for this song.Of course, there are the other mentionables that everyone else talks about, the hit singles, the songs like "Keep the Faith" and "In These Arms" which yes, are great, but yes, also mentioned in every other review on this page. It goes without saying that they are rock n' roll nuggets, so I will take the time to talk about two different songs, underrated and overlooked songs which deserve their props as well. One is "If I Was Your Mother", a hard rocking, musical tale of perversion with an infectious melody and a very rythmic chorus. It tells the story of a man (Jon, for all intents and purposes) who means nothing to a certain girl of his desires, and he wails away this song telling her how he would even go as far as wanting to be her mother, someone who she can count on and trust, someone who can "tuck her in" and "kiss her sweet goodnight", someone whom she can love back. Pretty deep and thought provoking, if you ask me. Lastly, I want to talk about the closing track on this album, "Little Bit of Soul". Now I admit, this song has nothing on many of the others found on KTF, but just give it a chance. I can see Jon and Richie sitting outside on a warm night, jamming away at this gem, smiling to no ends and maybe not even understanding just how GREAT this song actually sounds. The lyrics are a clash between the worlds of positive feelings and negative mentalities, with the optimistic side ultimately conquering its pessimistic counterpart. But that is irrelevant. Just LISTEN to this song, and if it doesn't grab you the first time, shelf it for a week and then come back to it. Learn to like it. Cuz it is overlooked to extreme degrees.There are twelve tracks on KEEP THE FAITH, and only two that I don't care for (cuts 8 and 9, "Woman in Love" and "Fear", respectively). That's pretty good, people. And I am not much different than anyone else who is into this certain brand of addicting melodies and timeless rock that only Bon Jovi can give us. At least, I imagine that I am not much different. After all, if you weren't interested in these Jersey boys to begin with, you wouldn't be here scouting the opinions of their fans. To me, that says that you ARE into this band. And then I feel safe in saying take my word for it. This is one record that no modern rock n' roll fan, let alone BON JOVI fan, should be without.Free Music Review: Moving from NEW JERSEY, although it meant breaking with past
Hit: 5 Stars
With 1988's NEW JERSEY, Bon Jovi showed that selling 10 million copies of their 1986 blockbuster SLIPPERY WHEN WET didn't make them a one-trick pony. In fact, as many of their '80s metal brethren were falling by the wayside as the 1990s began, Bon Jovi was still riding high, touring in support of NEW JERSEY well into the opening months of 1990. But as that tour ended, tensions were beginning to run high in the band, and Bon Jovi temporarily separated to do their own things. Jon Bon Jovi helped create the soundtrack to the movie YOUNG GUNS II, and had a solo #1 hit with the Oscar-nominated "Blaze of Glory". Guitarist Richie Sambora proved he was not just Jon's second fiddle with his highly-underrated album STRANGER IN THIS TOWN. By 1992, the party line on Bon Jovi was that they had quitely broken up. But when KEEP THE FAITH finally appeared later in the year, Bon Jovi proved they weren't dead, just in hibernation. 1992 was the year that alternative changed popular music forever, and simply put, the nothin'-but-a-good-time attitude of '80s metal was made obsolete almost immediately. Even so, Bon Jovi was a few notches above, say, Motley Crue, so the transition into the '90s was to be quite an easy one for Bon Jovi, and KEEP THE FAITH showed them move from hard-rock to heartland-rock. The latter was shown perfectly on the 10-minute epic "Dry County". Written solely by Jon, his tendency for Springsteen-like working class anthems came to its fruition here with that rare 10-minute song that doesn't outstay its welcome. Like any of Bob Dylan's famous story-length songs, it's all about lyrics and storytelling, without a mammoth solo to be found. Of course, the songwriting was the first thing to be matured in the band's 1990's transition, and KEEP THE FAITH is by far Bon Jovi's most adult record to date. Even the hits were above the old hard-rock standard of sexist rockers and sappy love ballads. The top 10 "Bed Of Roses" was indeed a love song, but Jon's lyricism is what shines here, with words that no average self-respecting '80s hard rock band could have possibly made work. "In These Arms" was not as lyrically beautiful as "Bed Of Roses", but it was still romantic enough to win over Bon Jovi's numerous female fans. It was the title track that showed their old fans that they could write more than just another love song or good-time rocker. Like "Dry County", "Keep The Faith" was a Springsteen-inspired number that demonstrated Bon Jovi's working-class identity in spite of their worldwide success. Other songs on KEEP THE FAITH that broke their just-for-the-teenage-girls status include "I Believe", "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", "Blame It On The Love Of Rock & Roll", and the wonderfully-titled "If I Was Your Mother". While KEEP THE FAITH may have been called by some people as too self-assured and pretentious when it was released, it proved that Bon Jovi may have been the only band from the fad-laden '80s that seriously wanted to move forward with their music, for better or worse. Strangely, though the 1990s would be the least productive for Bon Jovi, as the bad vibes from the NEW JERSEY era continued to persist, and would lead to one band member leaving the group, and the band yet again separating to go solo. Eventually, Bon Jovi worked out their differences and they're now back on each other's good sides, but KEEP THE FAITH shows that Bon Jovi had every intention of staying in for the long haul.Free Music Review: Bon Jovi's finest hour.
Hit: 5 Stars
After both Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora released solo albums and a four-year hiatus, the duo joined forces to release Keep the Faith, which was meant to be a more serious album right from the get-go. Besides carrying the band's arena rock anthems, it was also meant to be a nod to the working-class ethics of Bruce Springsteen, focusing heavily on thoughtout lyrics and messages -- and it became a success.
The Springsteen influence is remarkable on the album opener "I Believe": it merges the signature Bon Jovi sound treated to a more updated version and the gospel revivalist feel of Springsteen songs. Sambora's guitar wail is carefully placed under the thick bass stomp and Bon Jovi's trademark screams, but the melody is gripping and infectious. As with earlier releases, Desmond Child helped them finish two other hits: the ambitious title track, driven by an amazing vocal delivery, profound lyrics, and Torres' drum syncopation; and the more upbeat number "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", which revisits the band's earlier hook-laden cuts, chock full of catchy choruses and harmony vocals.
The reason why Keep the Faith stands out from its predecessor is certainly the inclusion of songs exhibiting more maturity and depth. "Dry Country", at nearly minutes, is an amazing melodic hard rocker graced by a timeless melody. The piano theme that sets the tone of the piece is cleverly repeated during the pre-chorus and simultaneously as the lyrics are delivered -- it's a sign of Jon Bon Jovi's mastery of hook and songwriting. Even Richie Sambora, whose guitar work has always been behind the band's crushing rhythm section, gets to put his lead playing on display, cutting it loose for a good two minutes.
Likewise, while still serving his pop-driven rock ballads in the form of "I Want You", Jon Bon Jovi also begins to show signs of artistic growth as both a lyricist and musician. The combination of "In These Arms" and "Bed of Roses" is easily the band's most powerful one-two punch ballad ever. The former sees considerable input by David Bryan; he injects neat keyboard work which introduces the main melody for Jon to sing over and add his own touch to it. The latter, on the other hand, is quite possibly the band's most moving song to date. Its beautiful guitar intro, piano motif, and the profoundly emotive vocal style are hard to match in the poppy spectrum of hard rock. Though they may have had bigger hits on the charts, "Bed of Roses" is the band at their most expressive, and Jon Bovi Jovi at his songwriting best.
More guitar-based songs also appear on the CD, such as the bass-rich "If I Was Your Mother" with a cool chorus; the blues-inflected "Blame It on the Love of Rock & Roll" with its relentless rhythm groove; and the unapologetically loud "Woman in Love", driven by Jon Bon Jovi's repeated chorus shout.
In many ways, Keep the Faith is the band's finest moment. Unlike their albums released in the 80's, it has a more timeless quality to it and crosses the boundaries of happy-go-lucky pop rock tunes that formed much of that era. Sadly, with the follow-up to this record, These Days, Bon Jovi would lose their appeal to many a long-time fan whilst winning over a whole new legion of followers. They have always been a band that managed to keep up-to-date with what achieves stardom.
Free Music Review: Bon Jovi at their career-best
Hit: 5 Stars
Bon Jovi were on the verge of terminally languishing in the almost-great league at the end of the 80's, until this excellent record launched them into the rock-stratosphere. Softer than heavy metal, harder than most AOR, Bon Jovi turned their large air-punching-rock skills (of "Living On A Prayer", "Bad Medecine" etc etc) to producing an album of powerful, mature and strong songs, from the building, driving opening combo of "I Believe" & "Keep The Faith" to the tender "Bed Of Roses". The mamoth "Dry County" (at ten minutes) is a classic which many thought Bon Jovi just couldn't make. The strength of the singles is enough to commend this album, but the album tracks shine too.
Richie Sambora (responsible for some of the best air-guitar fodder) displays a new depth and soleful-ness to his playing, further evidenced on his solo albums. Tico Torres is more powerful than before, and with production that is a fine line between polish and grit, the sound is convincing.
As an album there are only a couple of tracks that don't measure up and the album lacks the hunger and raw energy of "Slippery When Wet" or (the under-rated) "New Jersey", but it is a more complete album and is better equipped to withstand the test of time than it's predecessors.
This is a journey almost into Aerosmith territory (on a soft day), and Bon Jovi get away with all limbs intact...
Free Music Review: My absolute fave!
Hit: 5 Stars
I've been a fan since I was nine, way back in the "Runaway" days. Didn't own an album til Slippery When Wet, which of course, there was no turning back from there. As groundbreaking as that album was, I still prefer Keep the Faith. I can not even explain why, to be honest. It's funny, because when it was released it took me months to buy it. I just wasn't interested for some reason. By the time my friend taped it for me, it was all I listened to in my car. "Bed of Roses" is their greatest ballad (the best lyrics Jon has ever attempted at writing, very surprising!), "If I was Your Mother" just simply rocks, it blows my mind every time I hear it. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is too much fun. "In These Arms" is such a fantastic, catchy song. There are some throwaways- "Woman in Love", maybe even "A Little Bit of Soul". But it's still sooo much fun to listen to. Too bad they had to follow it up with a depressing dirge like These Days. If I'd have to put my favorite albums in order, it would be Faith, Slippery, Jersey (and I don't even LOVE that one for some reason), Crush (not a true favorite, but I'm glad to see them returning to the old formula), Fahrenheit and Bon Jovi (haven't listened to those two in eons though). These Days doesn't even make the cut. I find it unlistenable.But anyway! This is about Faith. And it rocks.