This is an open forum for staff members, contributers, and fans alike to submit their reviews on the latest music releases and concerts. In an industry that is drowning with overprocessed, grossly overrated, unoriginal crap these days, this is our chance to allow the real stars to shine, if only on our humble, little stage; and expose you to some of our favorite talents.
Reviews are given 1 - 5 stars.
The general buzz about this album is that Bon Jovi has gone country. Some say they are pandering to the country fans after their 1st Grammy win with Who Says You Can’t Go home, and because they were the first rock band to date to have achieved a #1 song in country music. When in actuality, Bon Jovi has written music in Nashville (aka, Music City) for years, and this just happens to be their first album to have more Nashville flavor/influence than before. Using a big time Nashville producer like Dann Huff (produced Faith Hill, Keith Urban), it’s no wonder the buzz around Lost Highway is screaming country music. Ironically, Bon Jovi’s buzz in the 80s was that they were a soft rock band trying to be heavy metal. Some even said they pandered to those metal fans back in the day. As a Bon Jovi fan of then and now, I’m going to go with the answer Jon Bon Jovi gave back in the 80s, “Bon Jovi is Bon Jovi.” They aren’t metal, they aren’t pop, they aren’t country, they are a little of everything. Kind of like my taste in music. What some people deem as changing - growing- evolving, others deem as pandering to what’s hot. If they used the same old same old formula, they’d get labeled for that too.
Lost Highway is to music a lot like what The Dukes of Hazzard was to tv. Dukes wasn’t anywhere close to being Hee Haw, but it did take place down south. Jon and Richie as Bo and Luke Duke? Seems like a good comparison! Can I be Daisy? I guess David would be Cooter, Tico as Uncle Jesse and that would leave Doc McGee as Boss Hogg? Okay, I’m getting carried away here. The point is, if you just watched Dukes for the first time, you can’t help but see the country bumpkinness of it all. But then, you got past that and just focused on the car chases, the catch phrases, the CB handles and the moonshine. With Lost Highway, that’s what I did. The first listen, you hear the twangs, steel guitar and fiddles here and there (not blatant by any means), but the General Lee (the real star of that show), is the lyrics. Lyrically, Lost Highway is Bon Jovi’s best album to date.
This isn’t the Bon Jovi CD you are going to take to the gym, there are a lot more softer songs here than on the majority of other Jovi albums. That being said, the lyrics for many of the songs are very heartfelt. Whole Lot of Leavin’, Seat Next to You, Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore (a duet with LeAnn Rimes), lyrically, all seem to be a reflection of what guitarist Richie Sambora was going through in his personal life. Everybody’s Broken is another emotional heavyweight as far as lyrics go:
It’s a song about freedom, and in Bon Jovi’s case, the artistic freedom to make whatever kind of music they want. This is the absolute essance of the album. It’s not country, metal, jazz, blues, rock, polka....it’s Bon Jovi.
Basically, if you were hoping for Hee Haw, you aren’t going to find it here! To decide for yourself, go to iTunes right now and DL The Good Ole Boys’ Lost Highway. If you don’t, Roscoe P. Coltrain will be in hot pursuit of you! Cew Cew Cew! (or is it Coo Coo Coo?? Spell check doesn’t like either!)
Reviewed by: Melissa Bejer | June 2007
