In summary:

On their first album without talismanic guitarist Richie Sambora, Bon Jovi forego face-melting guitar solos in favour of catchy melodies and superior lyrics. This House Is Not For Sale is a triumph.

This House Is Not For Sale receives 7/11.
★★★★★★★

This House Is Not For Sale is the 14th studio album from U.S. rockers Bon Jovi.

It spawned a whopping seven singles, and it has the unique distinction of being a two-time #1 album on the Billboard Chart despite selling fewer copies than any of Bon Jovi’s previous ten albums.

Written during the period in which lead guitarist Richie Sambora decided to quit mid-tour, several tracks make reference to the turbulence which surrounded the band. They make good use of that turbulence, crafting their frustrations into several gems which are scattered throughout the huge 19-track playlist on what is a largely under-appreciated piece of work.

The most notable of those is Living With The Ghost, an up-tempo rock number which acts as a vessel for the singer’s three years of anger at his former best friend.

It features some of Jon Bon Jovi’s best lyrics in years (“I wrote each word / you gave the toast / we were fire and gasoline / and I ain’t living with your ghost”), and touches upon the difficulty of steering the juggernaut-sized machine alone (“I saw a man wash his feet in the church holy water / said I’m over my head / Lord I’m just trying to get some relief / I had this dream / That man was me”).

It’s a track which really hits home, and in a way, you kinda wish the exiled Sambora was there to drop a cool riff and a killer solo around it.

Because, that’s where most of This House Is Not For Sale’s problems lie.

Sambora is said to have been unhappy with the musical direction of 2013’s What About Now, which was notably less heavy than their previous work, and since his departure the band have continued down that path. Almost as if protesting their former axeman, they appear determined to show that heavy guitars are no longer a central feature in their song structures, often subduing them in the mix to sit beneath David Bryan’s Coldplay-esque keyboards.

Sometimes this works, and other times it hinders the material.

A good example of it working is the piano ballad Real Love. It does a fantastic job of highlighting why Jon Bon Jovi is so great at crafting love songs, and it’s probably one of the best ballads Bon Jovi have ever made.

On the flipside, you can definitely see how other standout tracks like Born Again Tomorrow and Knockout could’ve benefitted (and possibly even ranked among their biggest hits to date) had they stripped off a layer of gloss and given it a killer guitar riff instead of shooting for a more contemporary sound.

Jon Bon Jovi also draws song-writing inspiration from seeing the band’s 32-year relationship with Mercury Records come to a bitter end.

The split happened in early 2015 when Jon’s new-look crew were offered a greatly reduced financial deal, to which the singer demanded they be treated with more respect considering their proven track record and the loyalty they had shown the label throughout the years.

Not content with blasting them on the vicious Burning Bridges (2015), he brought the rage into this album, too. Standout track Devil In The Temple (sadly the only song which is really guitar-driven) features several stinging lyrics directed at his former bosses (“This was a church / a house full of prayer / it ain’t that now / I could tear it down”).

As a whole, Bon Jovi appear to have done their best to come through adversity and make an album which is jam-packed with catchy tunes. Some of them will be stuck in your head for days (Rollercoaster, Walls, This House Is Not For Sale, New Year’s Day), but as a collection it does lack the heaviness of their earlier work.

In summary:

On their first album without talismanic guitarist Richie Sambora, Bon Jovi forego face-melting guitar solos in favour of catchy melodies and superior lyrics. This House Is Not For Sale is a triumph.

This House Is Not For Sale receives 7/11.
★★★★★★★