In summary:

Coming 40 years after their debut, Bon Jovi’s 16th studio album displays their uncanny ability to write super catchy songs, and despite constant references to their past, the new material is strong enough to stand on its own two feet.

Forever receives 8/11.
★★★★★★★★

Forever is the sixteenth studio album from Bon Jovi, and their third without talismanic guitarist Richie Sambora.

And at this point in their career, Bon Jovi are essentially re-purposing content.

That’s not always a bad thing, especially in the case of standout track Living Proof, which is arguably the best song they’ve created in since 2005.

Sure, it sounds like It’s My Life, which sounds like Everyday, which sounds like Bounce, which sounds like One Wild Night 2001, which sounds like No Apologies, which sounds like Knockout, which sounds like Undivided, which sounds like Have A Nice Day, but it’s a formula which has always brought them huge success and, to be fair, it fucking rocks.

Heck, if you were to pack 10,000 Bon Jovi fans into an arena and ask them to describe how they want the band to sound, that’s precisely what it would sound like.

Elsewhere, other highlights include My First Guitar, Waves, The People’s House, and the experimental Seeds.

Forever doesn’t just give us an older Bon Jovi, but a wiser Bon Jovi.

When their lacklustre tour for previous album 2020 drew to a close, most fans believed the band were finished, largely due to the vocal issues which Jon Bon was experiencing.

However, in typical Bon Jovi fashion he refused to give up.

The charismatic frontman now has a revolutionary plastic implant which sits outside of his vocal chords. The operation was recommended to him by Shania Twain (who also has one), and it seems to have worked, because he sounds great.

Bon Jovi’s long overdue decision to down-tune their guitars will also accommodate his new vocal range, making it easier for him to reach the high notes, and they choose to play it smart on several of new tracks by resisting the urge to hit a key change during the outro.

References to the past are scattered throughout this album, and for the most part it works.

Album opener Legendary sounds like a mix between Lost Highway and Who Says You Can’t Go Home (although it’s not as good as either). The opening segments of standout track Waves pulls from Blaze Of Glory. The People’s House rips its drum signature from Keep The Faith. Living In Paradise takes it’s staccato guitar melody from 2016’s Goodnight New York. Walls Of Jericho re-works the radio-friendly chorus of Because We Can.

Meanwhile, from a song-writing perspective, both Seeds and The People’s House continue Jon’s recent fascination with comparing the foundations of a house to that of life itself (as previously used on This House Is Not For Sale, God Bless This Mess, and Walls).

It’s to the their credit, then, that most of the new songs are still good enough to shake off those initial flashbacks and become solid tunes in their own right.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though.

Big ballad Kiss The Bride falls flat on it’s face. It’s a concept which should work, but the production seems cold and calculated, almost as if Bon Jovi, Inc. spotted a gap in the marketplace for fathers giving away their daughters and attempted to cash in on it.

However, this minor mis-step is more than made up for over the course of the whole album.

Lyrically, Jon on good form, pounding his chest with typical Bon Jovi fare like “This family tree’s got nothing left to prove”, and sarcastically declaring “I’m much too vain to masturbate” on album closer Hollow Man.

I’m sure you are, Jon, I’m sure you are.

“New” guitarist (he’s been here 10-years) Phil X even contributes several guitar solos to the new material, and while never shredding quite as hard as you want him to, it’s a welcome return to something which has been missing since he replaced Richie Sambora in 2013.

Overall, Forever is a solid album which plays to Bon Jovi’s strengths.

Let’s face it, if you’ve been having a rough day, there are few things in life which can’t be cured by a wholesome wink and a Hollywood smile from the always beautiful Jahn Bahn Jowvi, and there are plenty of things to like about their latest work.

They’ve clearly retained their knack for writing catchy songs, and I guarantee Forever will grow on you with each listen. Heck, it even became a running joke in our household to pierce awkward conversational silences with a cheeky “… Legendary”.

(Don’t start doing that, because it’s very addictive.)

That being said, this album isn’t going to squash the frustrations of fans who have felt frustrated since long-time axeman Richie Sambora left the band; because while it’s light years ahead of the terrible 2020, it shares many of the same flaws as This House Is Not For Sale (e.g. it’s not heavy enough, there aren’t enough riffs, and Tico Torres’ once thunderous drums are still trying to find a way out of the annoying dance-rock machine they fell into in a decade ago).

So while it’s genuinely nice to hear Jon Bon Jovi proudly singing “I’m in love with my first guitar!”, you’ll spend the majority of the album wishing he’d turn the fucker up.

In summary:

Coming 40 years after their debut, Bon Jovi’s 16th studio album displays their uncanny ability to write super catchy songs, and despite constant references to their past, the new material is strong enough to stand on its own two feet.

Forever receives 8/11.
★★★★★★★★