I am surprised that it has got to October and I am only reviewing the second release of the year called 2020. Vandenberg released their first album in a long time, 2020 (which I reviewed here), back in May - but since then it seems that most other bands have avoided using the cliché title. Bon Jovi have never been the most original of bands however, especially throughout the last couple of decades, so it should come as little surprise that Jon Bon Jovi and co. have opted to name their fifteenth collection of original material 2020. In fairness to Bon Jovi, I believe that part of the reason for the title was that 2020 is an election year (in America in anyway) and the album cover was designed somewhat to look like a candid political campaign photo - with Bon Jovi 2020 emblazoned in one of the corners. The title still sucks however, just as every other year-based title has in the past - but I suppose at least there was some logic behind it. It is the content within that matters however, and ultimately how the album will be judged. As much as I have enjoyed Bon Jovi's catalogue throughout the years, I think it is fair to say that it has been quite some time since the band released a truly essential album and I would argue that 2007's country-tinged Lost Highway was probably the band's last album to impress from start to finish. This is not to say that the band's most recent albums are all totally throwaway, as they are not, but Bon Jovi's studio output has certainly become pretty patchy of late. The best of the bunch, for me anyway, was 2016's This House is Not For Sale (which I briefly discussed here) - an album which I did not pick up in time to review properly as I had become quite disillusioned by the band's other recent albums. I was quite kind to 2013's What About Now (which I reviewed here) when it was first released, but my opinion on it has certainly changed over the years. The album has aged about as well as milk for me, with the tame pop sound that the band went for there lacking any sort of bite whatsoever. I am not sure of the whole story surrounding former guitarist Richie Sambora's departure, but I would not be surprised if the ever-more insipid musical direction that Bon Jovi was pushing contributed to it. 2015's odds and sods collection Burning Bridges was the nadir however. It is easily the band's weakest album, which is not surprising considering it was a collection of songs that were not considered to be good enough for other albums. This House is Not For Sale was, then, a big step up in quality - and easily their best since Lost Highway. The songwriting was mature, the hooks were back, and the production had a great organic quality to it. I had higher hopes for 2020 as a result, but I think it is fair to say that the band's latest opus is a step down in quality again - although certainly not back down to the What About Now/Burning Bridges level. It is also the album where Bon Jovi is now just essentially the solo outfit of their lead singer. The line between Bon Jovi the band and Jon Bon Jovi the frontman has always been blurred somewhat, but this album might as well have been his third solo album - based on the very limited input in songwriting from the rest of the band and the basic arrangements of the material here. Despite the fact that producer and guitarist John Shanks and percussionist Everett Bradley seem to have been made official members of the band here, taking the band's ranks to seven, 2020 is not an album that sounds like it was made by a full-throttle rock act. It is quite a sparse album with something of an atmospheric sound that often produces quite mixed results.
Despite this atmospheric, somewhat laid back, sound, there are a few moments of more up tempo rock to be found here. The band will probably never rock as hard as they did in the 1980s and early 1990s again, but there are still a handful of catchy pop rockers on 2020. One such track, Limitless, opens things up; and it is a song that resembles other recent lead singles such as Because We Can. Long time Bon Jovi fans know what they are getting with a song like Limitless, with chiming guitar melodies and a wordless vocal hook opening things up. A somewhat modern sound is clearly been attempted here, with a pulsing Hugh McDonald bassline driving the punchy verses; while the hooky choruses feature shimmering synths and chiming guitar arpeggios. The song would have probably been better if the band viewed it through an old-school filter, and allowed the guitars to really power through the mix, but in truth it is enjoyable as it is. The band have done better, but as a simple piece of pop rock the song works well enough. Bon Jovi just about gets away with it vocally, although there are some cracks to be found throughout the album, with the simple chorus melody allow him to showcase his enduring knack for stadium-sized melodies. It is a shame then that the album takes such a nosedive after this solid opening. 2020 was originally supposed to be released back in May, but was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, two new songs were recorded in the interim - and both are up next. Do What You Can is the first of two ham-fists issue-based numbers that really fail to hit home, and in fact end up sounding pretty forced and overly-earnest. We all know that Bon Jovi has always secretly wanted to be Bruce Springsteen, but this album shows that he is certainly not fit to wear any sort of similar crown. Do What You Can is about the ongoing pandemic, but the subject matter is dealt with the subtly of a brick to the face; and smacks of the same middle-class smugness that fills much of the mainstream media at the moment with their constant calls for ever-more draconian restrictions on ordinary people's lives. This song does nothing to address the harm of the ongoing lockdowns that are happening the world over, and the overly-jaunty nature of the piece just enhances the vision of someone speaking from their high castle - unaffected by what is going on on the ground. American Reckoning is the second of the new songs, and it tackles the George Floyd murder and the Black Lives Matter movement with a similar amount of subtly as COVID was tackled previously. This song is certainly an improvement over the last one, with a strong atmosphere and a sombre, rallying chorus - but I just do not think that Bon Jovi has the nuance of language these days to tackle these sorts of issues. Listen to this and then listen to Springsteen's American Skin (American Skin) and compare the two - the difference is night and day. The strange thing though is that Bon Jovi have done serious issue-based songs in the past, and have done them so much better than this. I just think that his songwriting skills are not what they were, especially for tackling issues that have been poured over and debated to the extent that COVID and racism have been of late, and that really comes light during this album's opening handful of tracks.
Luckily however, things improve with Beautiful Drug - a fairly upbeat rocker that features one of the few proper guitar riffs on the album. Guitarist Phil X might as well have not turned up to some of the recording sessions for this album as his skills are certainly not put to good use for the most part, but there is actually a bit of bite here - as well as a strong chorus. There is even a proper guitar solo, something that is a real rarity on this album. X has proved himself to be a great guitarist over the last few Bon Jovi tours, and it is a real shame to see him so underused on this album. The solo here is not exactly a great moment, but it is nice to see him cutting loose a little. The song is certainly an enjoyable pop rocker in a similar vein to Limitless, and it is sure to go down well live where the band will certainly rock it up somewhat on stage. The opening line of 'tear off your mask' after the awful Do What You Can is delivered with absolutely no irony whatsoever however, and it just shows how this album was recorded in a couple of sessions. Story of Love is an acoustic-based ballad, and is typical of many of the songs found on the band's other recent albums. It is not an awful song, but there is just nothing of interest going on here. There are no real hooks, few particularly interesting musical motifs, and there is very little soul. Ballads succeed or fail with their emotional punch, and this one just plods along with some pretty insipid lyrics that serve little purple. Some occasional tasteful piano lines from founding member David Bryan, a man long-forgotten as a musician and songwriter by his boss, and a decent closing slide guitar solo are probably the song's highlights. The song drags on for nearly six minutes too, and the length does nothing to add to its overall appeal. Let It Rain is another sparser number, but there is a bit more energy this time around. Bon Jovi's Springsteen influence is on display here again, but this time it is in the music - with the band evoking the legendary E Street Band with some brash organic guitar chords and a synthesised horn section. As a result, the song is one of the most enjoyable tracks here. It is certainly not world-beating, but there is at least some spirit to be found. Bon Jovi sings the song with a lot of gusto, while Tico Torres' drums really crash through the speakers - which are often doubled by percussive piano chords to boost the ringing vibe even further. The song shows that the band can still produce genuinely enjoyable material, and there is a lot to like within. Lower the Flag sounds a bit like a hangover from the This House is Not For Sale sessions, with the organic sound that that album went for featured again in a big way. It is fairly acoustic-based again, but there is a much murkier sound present here in comparison to songs like Story of Life. Subtle piano backs up Bon Jovi and his acoustic guitar, while occasionally bluesy guitar swells add colour. The song is also serious in tone, and it shows that Bon Jovi can still 'do' serious and make it work. It is clear that songs like Do What You Can and American Reckoning were thrown together in an attempt to sound current and tapped in to current issues, but as a result they sound half-baked and overly-earnest. Lower the Flag has a genuine atmosphere to it, and as a result it works in a way that those other two songs did not.
The best song on the album, for me anyway, builds on Lower the Flag and showcases that Bon Jovi can still occasionally strike gold. Blood in the Water, in my opinion, is the sort of song that Bon Jovi should focus on in the 21st Century. It is a well-crafted, layered, atmospheric rock song that is packed full of emotion and a features a great performance from the whole band. I will concede however that some of the melodies here are extremely similar to ones found in Dry County from 1992's Keep the Faith, which is one of my favourite Bon Jovi songs, which is possibly why I enjoy it so much. While some of the melodies are so similar it is almost self-parody, Blood in the Water still works. It ends up sounding a little like a sequel to Dry County - which I am not sure was intentional but either way it works. Everyone really pulls together to make the song a success, with lots of subtle guitar textures from X and Shanks bulking things out - while a string section adds to the overall emotional punch. My only criticism is that the short guitar solo is a real tease. If there was a song on this album that deserved a long, flowing solo it was this one - which makes the scant few bars of lead work something of a shame. I wish that part had been longer, but overall the song is still a winner and it is easily my favourite cut here. Brothers in Arms is a step down in quality, but it is still a decent tune. It is probably the toughest-sounding track here, with some brash guitar chords and a great McDonald bassline throughout that snakes in and out of Torres' hollow-sounding drums. It is a fairly unremarkable song, but it stands out because it is the only song here to have this low-fi approach. There is a real lack of prominent keyboard and studio trickery here, which gives the song an honest garage rock feel. I like the approach taken, and it is certainly nice to see the guitars pushed to the fore here. A couple of bluesy leads help the song's overall vibe to shine, but in truth it is the simple riffing and the wordless vocal hooks that help it to stick in the brain. The album comes to a close with Unbroken, a sombre ballad that was actually originally released last year. It is a song that deals with PTSD in military veterans, and it is tackled with a respect and subtlety that is lacking elsewhere. Songs like this make me wonder why Do What You Can and American Reckoning were not better than they were, but in truth this difference in quality really sums up the modern Bon Jovi experience. You never quite know what you are going to get quality-wise - sometimes they can really surprise you, but often they can disappoint. Unbroken is a strong effort however, and it ends what is quite a mixed album on an emotional high. 'Mixed' is the only word that I can use to describe 2020 overall however. There are a handful of very enjoyable songs here, but there are also a few pretty weak efforts - some of which were clearly rushed to make the band seem in-tune with the big talking points and moral debates of the day. I wonder if the original album that should have been released in May would have been an improvement without the rushed additions, but that is something that we will never know; and as it is 2020 sits somewhere in the lower third of Bon Jovi's overall canon, along with many of its other recent siblings.
The album was released on 2nd October 2020 via Island Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Limitless.
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