Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith
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Free Music Notes for Keep the Faith
Free Music Review: Less rocking than predecessors, but great musicianship
Hit: 4 Stars
Like rock music in general, Bon Jovi was different in the 1990s then they were in the '80s. For sure, this effort is more serious and "mature" (translation: less rocking) than all previous Bon Jovi albums. The "heavy metal-ish" sound is clearly gone. Nonetheless, the great musicianship is still there, making this an overall worthwhile listen.When you think of all the rocking Bon Jovi songs on previous albums, it is amazing to me that only true HARD rock sound here is on track 9--with "Fear". Nothing else would I call above an uptempo anthem. That being said, I love the catchy title track as well as the pretty ballad "In These Arms". "If I Was Your Mother" is a uniquely interesting mid-tempo song. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is very infectuous and catchy as well. These songs plus several others kept me listening to this album instead of Nirvana in 1992 and '93.
On to the negatives, besides the general fact that the hard rock sound is really lacking on most of the album. "Bed Of Roses", while the only top 10 hit on the album, is too long, slow, and dreary. Sometimes I like the song, but overall it is a weak hit for Bon Jovi. "Dry County" is also too slow in most spots (not including a solo that picks up the pace later in the song), and it is WAY too long at nearly 10 minutes.
At the time this album came out, I wondered what was going on here with the lack of hard rock from a band that had rocked on its previous four albums. Over the past decade it has become plain to see that this is a common trend among many one-time "pop metal" bands. If all you care about is hard rock, then this won't likely be for you, but if you also like more mellow melodic rock with still a bit of a kick, then you may still enjoy this one.
Free Music Review: In Rock We Trust
Hit: 4 Stars
For years I had read reviews and heard the gossip among friends about Bon Jovi's "bad" material. They would point to Keep the Faith and Jon's solo material and claim it to be very pop-rock with no attitude or style that brought the band to prominence during the glam metal insurgence in the mid to late 1980's. Well, I finally gathered up the nerve and picked up Bon Jovi's "Keep the Faith" and will judge their performance for myself completely free of prior interpretation.Keep the Faith, the title track, should have been the open for the album. While I. Believe is a solid song, it does reflect the previous thoughts shared by friends and fellow reviewers. Though I feel the live performance on the 2001 video and CD release of One Wild Night was more energetic, the studio version does have a lot more of the attitude that I base my favorite bands' grander upon. From there, other strong songs like I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Blame it on the Love of Rock and Roll, and one of the best ballads of any band in history, Bed of Roses, carry the album from the grasp of negative reviews for me.
While some songs don't seem to make very much sense to me and others fall flat, more than not the album is a true Bon Jovi album. I do feel the attitude of the band was toned down quite a bit from their release of New Jersey and Slippery When Wet but the style that is the band remains strong. Also, it is important to keep in mind the release of this album was in the height of the down sounding and down right depressing drones of the extremely forgettable and disposable grunge rock scene. The fact that this album is something you can listen to without wanting to cause yourself physical harm makes it a stand out from this time in popular music. Overall, it's a good buy but not sure as good as New Jersey.
Free Music Review: Title Says It All
Hit: 4 Stars
Bon Jovi wondered if they'd still have an audience in 1993 when, deep in the Grunge revolution, they put out an album that probably sounded too much like a Bon Jovi record to be taken seriously by the press.But, it's a solid record with a small handful of great songs that make the rest of it seem worth the time. From the opening chords of "I Believe" it's obvious "Keep the Faith" is an album written by adults for adults. Bon Jovi was never kiddy pop anyway, although no one bothered to tell the kiddies that. "Faith" is a more emotional mature album than some people expected. It certainly has more bite than what had come before, a sign that these were no longer a couple pretty boys writing about sex in the back seat of daddy's old car. These are grown men writing haunting songs about the world in which they live, both socially and emotionally.
In "Bed of Roses" Jon may have written his most pained and memorable ballad. Rather than sugar coat emotions, "Bed" hits between the eyes and is perhaps better heard in quiet meditation than with the girl of your dreams in your arms.
Other songs, especially the over-looked but unforgettable "Dry County," stand tall as well. For the first half this album fires on all cylinders, showing emotional range and musical expertise. (Although I'll never get the appeal of "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.")
The fact that it slips up at the end, stringing a handful of brutally forgettable songs to close out, hurt this album a bit. But up until that point, Bon Jovi proved they were more than an 80's band. They're a rock and roll band. And they're not going anywhere for a long, long time.
Free Music Review: Not Bad
Hit: 4 Stars
I found this CD used for $3.00, and a guy that liked a bunch of music that I liked had called this one of the greatest CD's ever. I also liked the hits from "Slippery" (those are the only Jovi songs that they play on the radio) so I figured that I would give this a try. Even without hearing any of the songs before I could tell which ones were the singles, and while they were decent (except for "Bed of Roses," which is almost as nausiating as Aerosmith's "Angel"), most of the rest of the album seems like it was thrown together quickly. Notice I said most, because there is one song called "Dry Country" which is the best song that Jovi has ever done. It is a staggering 9:23 long, yet seems like two or three minutes. While certain lyrics could have used some work (First he says that he needs oil, then he's praying for rain), overall it is really good; the highlight of the song being the 2:00 long solo by Sambora (that's not a typo, it's really two minutes). I just wish that the producer had made his guitar parts more audible above the rhythm section, but with all those complants, the solo and song are still REALLY good. You might be disappointed if you buy this for full priced, but if you see this new or used for under ten dollars, pick it up.Free Music Review: Not Bon Jovi's Best, But Still Great
Hit: 4 Stars
My absolute favorites of Bon Jovi were '7800,' 'Slippery When Wet,' and 'New Jersey.' I don't feel anything he made afterwards quite matched these efforts. Now in my opinion William Shakespeare reached the height of his abilities with his 'Macbeth' and 'King Lear.' After these 2 phenomenal plays, he wrote 8 more before he died in 1616. I don't feel any of these 8 final plays matched the 2 mentioned masterpieces. But does this mean William Shakespeare should not have written them? Ofcourse not! Even if a great writer or composer writes a masterpiece that he won't be able to quite match, that does not mean he should stop creating. And there are many things that make this record worth listening to. It consists of a wide range of music from moderate rock, to beautiful slow music, and even a square dance type song. And do we really know a composer if we only listen to his absolute best stuff? If you like Bon Jovi, you will not want to miss this record. 2nd best is still great!