Crush (Audio Cassette)

Hence a distraction from your artistic endeavors, and a preoccupation with getting a catchy hook broadcast through mass-media. This album's commercial success was an incredible fluke with the lucky homerun of "It's My Life." That's the only song that sold the album. For no reason that I can fathom, Richie started underplaying, the epic musical ventures of only a few years back seemed suddenly forgotten to Jon, and the band got a little safe, and dare I say, a bit bland for the otherwise very popular release, "Crush."

Bon Jovi? Bland? Blasphemous. Still, 60% of the album lacks real musical muscle and creativity. That's not just the conclusion derived from comparing the album to the past, God knows we need our band to evolve in order to stay relevant, and thank God with "Bounce," and the experimental (though in a safe way) "This Left Feels Right," we're a little more back on track now - if not the place on the track we were in 1989, atleast it's the same FORWARD moving railway. Nonetheless, "Crush" worried me a bit. Even though they still maintained the "Bon Jovi sound," the Bon Jovi sound began getting a little shy and wanting to blend in with what all the uninspired acts of the day tirelessly churn out to our abused ears. A comeback? NO! They were always there. A return to their roots? NO! This album is way too conservative for that. That said, allow me to praise some of the highlights.

1) "It's My Life" - Too short and undeveloped, thus wears out sooner than desired - but a quick punch of a song filled with emotion and great thematic preachings, catchy and strong. A good song, but its success was a fluke.

2) "Next 100 Years" The ONLY sample of Richie going off on the whole album, so this song is the lifeline of the album for all of the REAL Jovi fans out there. Still, the song is affected by the mildness of the album. Too much plain strumming, and the solo is undermixed!!!! Nevertheless, the doubletime at the end is the moment of shining on the album.

3) "Just Older" - a sequel to "Blood on Blood", and weaker than the original. Still good, though. The anthem on the album, helped by the fact that Jon feels very personal with this song and doesn't have to try too hard to sell the performance's sincerity.

4) "One Wild Night" - again, conservative soloing and no riff other than the chords themselves - but rocks pretty hard and the spirit is quite rocking.

I LOVE Bon Jovi ballads, but for the first time of their career, they put out an album where the ballads just don't tug at my heart strings. Not special like "I'll be There for You" or the great hidden gem "I Want You", etc.

In the end, a band you really support for the long haul deserves to make an artistically lacking album or two. And even the worst Bon Jovi album will never be anything less than the best thing out there at the moment! But we all know this band is capable of both commercial AND musical Godliness. Play the game of the music industry, but for God's sake, 100 million albums later, NOW is not the time to sell your soul to mediocrity! I don't recommend avoiding this album, but you better have "Bounce!" In the end, the latter album will still be in your cd player 10 years from now and "Crush" will just get the occasional dusting off, ESPECIALLY after "It's My Life" is available on the next Hits package somewhere in the future. Bon Jovi is in it for the long haul, an honest-to-God career that evolves and develops. So look at the big picture. We can still look for many great years ahead!!!