In summary:

Bon Jovi wanted to capture the troubling lockdown period on record, but unfortunately, it also captures them at their post-Sambora worst.

2020 receives 3/11.
★★★

Every band was hit hard by lockdown, but Bon Jovi had a particularly rough one.

Going into lockdown on the eve of their scheduled new album release, the band pulled the plug and tried to wait until everything got back to normal so that they could tour in support of the record.

And they waited… and they waited… and they waited.

Eventually, so much time passed that Jon Bon Jovi no longer felt connected to the material he had written, and he decided to bin the whole project.

Like the rest of us, he trudged though lockdown, and then watched on in horror at the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis, followed by the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests which swept the USA, and this gave him inspiration to write a different kind of Bon Jovi record; one of frustration, social conscience, and the sombre realization that everything seems to be fucked.

(And as if we needed more proof that everything the year 2020 touched turned to shit, shortly after announcing that the album would be titled 2020 it was delayed until 2021!)

Unfortunately, the story behind this album is more interesting than the music it contains.

Because even though it’ll serve as a useful reminder of this strange lockdown era and features some outstanding lyrics (“When did a judge and a jury, become a badge and a knee?”), what Bon Jovi fans wanted more than anything were anthems of hope to help get them through.

And that’s not what they received at all.

Lead single Limitless tries to pick up where 2016’s superb This House Is Not For Sale left off, but John Shanks’ glossy production distils Tico Torres’ drums in favour of a contemporary chart sound, which kills it dead – although it does feature a fantastic bridge where the band really hit their stride (“Trying to keep your head above water!”).

Meanwhile, rocker Beautiful Drug has a similar feel to that of These Days or Crush, but is let down by a poor Phil X guitar solo, and the poignant Blood In The Water sounds too much like a mash between Always and Dry County to be taken seriously in it’s own right.

The album highlight is the country-tinged Do What You Can.

Jon Bon Jovi has always been adept at tackling life’s struggles metaphorically (think how many times he’s sung about “not giving up” without mentioning the specifics of a situation) so it’s jarring to hear him run at issues head on (“The workers need their PPE”), but even though some of the lyrics are cheesy (“Although I’ll keep my social distance, what this world needs is a hug”), it’s undeniably catchy as fuck, and easily the best song on the album.

In fact, if there’s to be a song which stands as an audible record of that crazy time, let it be that one.

Sadly, there’s not much else to write home about on 2020, and it’s painful to hear a band as inspiring and uplifting as Bon Jovi stumble through what is potentially the weakest album of their career to date. With the legendary Richie Sambora now long gone, and Jon experiencing difficulties with his vocal chords over the last few years, it’ll be interesting to see if this spells the end for New Jersey’s finest.

In summary:

Bon Jovi wanted to capture the troubling lockdown period on record, but unfortunately, it also captures them at their post-Sambora worst.

2020 receives 3/11.
★★★