From independent.co.uk 2/5

Bon Jovi, This House Is Not For Sale

★★☆☆ ☆


Download this: Labor Of Love; Come On Up To Our House

Despite the departure of Richie Sambora, things remain pretty much as they were with Bon Jovi thanks to the efficient but unremarkable skills of his replacement Phil X, a much-travelled journeyman guitarist who offers neither innovation nor, more importantly, significant challenge to Jon Bon Jovi’s leadership. Accordingly, the chugging riffs service bloated anthems to notions of integrity, community and hedonism couched in threadbare metaphors in which the sky has grown black, the streets are on fire, and “life ain’t a merry-go-round, it’s a rollercoaster”. Freed momentarily from emulating U2 and Springsteen stylings, X’s best moments come on “Labor Of Love”, a romantic collapse to which he lends a touch of twangsome poignancy. But the comforting simplicities peddled in tracks like “Reunion” and “Knockout” offer the rock equivalent of Donald Trump, currying favour without getting too specific.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk