Great things come from New Jersey. Frank Sinatra. The Boss. Me. And, of course, Jon Bongiovi.
I know nothing about Bon Jovi save the big super hits that catapulted him and his group to megastardom. Is there anything more to the once high-haired glam pop rock than just faux country anthem rock?
Let’s find out.
Bon Jovi – Keep The Faith – 1992 (Buy it)
Huh.
So, in the early 80s, when Power Pop was all the rage, Jon Bongiovi and his band sounded more like Rick Springfield than even Mr. Springfield would at times.
In the mid-80’s the group experienced their biggest success by melding Bruce Springsteen-esque storytelling and sense of epic with Def Leppard’s sound.
After a four year absence, where Jon was nominated for an Oscar for his most excellent Blaze of Glory single and the guys went off in different directions, JBJ and the crew got back in the studio, this time with Bruce Fairbairn protege, Bob Rock, and, I can only assume, listened to Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby way too many times.
Seriously. Keep The Faith is filled with rhythmic chk-chk-chking guitars and a sweeping sense of self=importance Christianity and, you know what? It almost works.
Why almost? Because it came, of course, during the early 90s, which means it’s 20 minutes longer than it should ever be. This is partially accounted for by the inclusion of the 9+ minute “Dry County” a song which is almost NOT weighted down by it’s own sense of anthemia.
Thing is, they just run out of ideas. They even have a song called “Blame it on the Love of Rock and Roll. I just don’t buy it. I would rather it be called, “Blame it on the need to make a living the only way I know how that is the most fun and requires the least amount of work.”
There’s some tough stuff on this album. The title track. And, especially, I Believe are both keepers.
It’s not nearly as bad as New Jersey and they band gets high marks for stepping outside of their hair-gel box. In fact, I think it’s the second best album in their catalogue so far.
Not bad.
Grade C+
A Side: Keep the Faith
Blindside: I Believe
Downside: Bed of Roses. (The hookiness of the chorus doesn’t make up for the hokeyness of the tune.
