Keep the Faith

It's funny. Despite being a child of the 80s, I don't, as a rule, like 80s music. And yet I didn't just manage to make an exception for this particular group -- they actually happen to be my very favorite band.

If you're a Bon Jovi fan, you get where I'm coming from.

There's kind of a lot of fans

Bon Jovi is not a "Favorite Band" pick that often wins you a lot of respect in serious music circles. But, to be fair to my musical tastes, they don't always get the credit they deserve. They've long since transcended their roots as an 80s hair band, and it's a mark of their talents as songwriters and performers that they've stayed relevant for nearly three decades.

For those of us who are fans, their apparently timeless appeal is easy to understand. Their songs are admittedly simple, but they're also infused with a real energy, making for tunes that are flat-out catchy fun. Their music's also packed with undefeatable optimism. Their lyrics have a message, and it's generally one of hope (you can't be a cynic and a Bon Jovi fan at the same time; it's a mathematical impossibility). In my experience, no one leaves a Bon Jovi concert in a bad mood. (And I've been to quite a few concerts.)

Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi recently celebrated his birthday (March 2), so that's exactly the excuse I need to talk a bit Bon Jovi. Allow me to recommend to you my top five album picks:

-- Slippery When Wet

Despite being their third album, 1986's Slippery When Wet was the album that catapulted Bon Jovi to success. Small wonder: the album contains the three songs that Bon Jovi is arguably best known for: "Livin' on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," and "Wanted Dead or Alive."

The last song, which compares the life of a rock star to the life of a cowboy, is an incredibly catchy earworm with an unforgettable hook -- but it also has some interesting commentary on the world of rock 'n' roll and celebrity culture. It's the band's biggest singalong concert performance (with Jon Bon Jovi often bringing the audience in to take over for a verse), as well as their undeniable signature piece.



-- Have a Nice Day

Released in 2005, this ninth offering from the band is, at least to me, something of a turning point in Bon Jovi's musical sound.

In addition to the catchy song from the title, there's "Novocaine," "Last Man Standing" (a futuristic sci-fi piece on the music industry -- really!), "Story of My Life," and "Welcome to Wherever You Are" (my favorite song on the album).

This album's also notable for the song "Who Says You Can't Go Home,"  which appears in two different versions -- once as a solo for Jon, and a second version sung as a duet with Jennifer Nettles (one half of the country-singing duo Sugarland). While the duet version only made it to the 5th slot on Billboard's US Top 40, it made Bon Jovi history by hitting Billboard's #1 spot on the Hot Country Songs list.



-- Lost Highway

After the runaway success of "Who Says You Can't Go Home," it probably seemed like a no-brainer for Bon Jovi to try their hand at a full album's worth of country-inspired sound. This follow-up to Have a Nice Day is clearly influenced by the genre of country music, giving a different flavor to the band's unique sound.

While I am, admittedly, not particularly a fan of much country music, I was pleasantly surprised to find this release quickly becoming another one of my favorites. Much to my surprise, the songs I like best -- "Whole Lot of Leavin'," "Any Other Day," "We Got It Going On" (done as a duet with country music duo Big & Rich) -- are the ones that are most clearly a mix of Bon Jovi's rock roots and a newer, country music influence. The title song, "Lost Highway," is a great driving tune.



-- Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection

I'm absolutely positive it's cheating to include this album -- a 2-disc compilation of, well, what it says on the tin. But it's hard to deny the draw of this 2010 release, which dips into such albums as Crush, New Jersey, and Keep the Faith to pull together all their best-loved songs into one complete set. In addition to the three biggest hits from Slippery When Wet, we also get such fantastic classics as "It's My Life," "Blaze of Glory," "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night," "Bad Medicine," and "Keep the Faith" (that last's a particular favorite of mine).

 There's also a handful of new tunes in the bonus tracks. (One of them, "The More Things Change," is one of my very favorite Bon Jovi songs.) You can't beat that for a single album!



-- The Circle

"The Circle," Bon Jovi's eleventh studio album, is a unique album for me. While it is, in many ways, a return to the band's rock roots, there's a freshness to much of the music that makes the album stand out.

Many of the songs are clearly influenced by current events (the album was released in 2009). Such songs as "Work for the Working Man" and "Brokenpromiseland" bring to mind the aftermath of the economic crisis; "Bullet" and "Happy Now" seem to reference the fears of the time.

But the best song of the album (and, to my mind, the best Bon Jovi song there is) is the wholly unusual "When We Were Beautiful." A surprisingly poignant piece, the song has the strong hook and typical structure one might expect from a Bon Jovi tune -- but the sound itself is unique. It's fitting for a song that looks both to the past and towards the future, making it a whole new kind of signature performance for the band.

Watch the band perform "When We Were Beautiful"

From the Catalog:

-- Music albums by (or featuring) Bon Jovi

-- Bon Jovi: The Crush Tour [DVD]

-- Lost Highway: The Concert [DVD]

-- Bon Jovi: Live at Madison Square Garden, July 15, 2008 [DVD]

-- Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful - Conversations with Phil Griffin - a book about the band



-- Post by Ms. B