A good CD. The songs that are VERY good are near great... those that aren't upper echelon keep this from being a 5 "*" effort. Definitely worth a listen, though, especially for Bon Jovi loyalists (like myself).

Best Tracks (no particular order):

Bottom Line: Buy it! It's worth a listen!

First of all, if you don't own Bounce then order it NOW. And if you don't have Blaze of Glory then get that too and go read my review of that also, unless you consider yourself Jovi proficient.

Ok, now that Bounce is on the way to your house (for those of you who had previously contributed to the industry trend in declining record sales), let me tell you what to be ready for.

I wish one could rate halves. This album really is 4.5 stars.

Bounce does, however, pack a punch. Always playing the game perfectly between musicality and commercialism, Bounce is almost a little TOO perfect, in terms of being the IDEAL modern day offspring of Slippery When Wet. Unfortunately, there's something about "modern day" that necessitates a decline in timelessness (9/11 inspirations not-withstanding). That said, Bounce doesn't sound dated, and they don't betray the roots that got them to where they are either. They don't use too much of 'the formula' so all they churn out is a stale throwback, but all will agree that this is a BON JOVI album, if there ever was any. So at the same time, they are not selling out and using all of the modern blips and bloops in the studio just to be accepted in the current day. The band cared about making viable music here, as they always do.

Which means, the "formula" to make Bounce is perfect. A little of the 9/11, done with respect, but not too much to be viewed as a cash in. A few ballads, but not too many to pigeonhole them as a sellout ballad band again, which happened in the mid 90's. You hear a lot of hooks, but you don't drown in them.

And perhaps the most important element, the rocking!!!!!!! Undivided, Everyday, Hook Me Up, and the title track (which is so good it is excused from being a revised 'It's My Life').... I've been waiting for this for years!!!! It isn't thrash metal, but it IS something that is badly needed. Crush didn't really have ANY of this type of song. Island records doesn't even put the band on the Hard Rock list! And I HATE the word pop.

....Except for musical virtuosity. Don't get me wrong, Jon never had aspirations to be in a prog band, but as a supporter of progressive rock myself, I always admired the band for being so talented yet taking their music to the masses so they would also achieve significance to the common man as well.

This album has a lot of great "songwriting" - which is great - but there is not one musical epic on the album. If you can write a few 'Prayers', you can write another "Dry County!" "Right side of Wrong" could have come close, but the chords are too simple, and Richie has this ongoing insecurity problem these days, of not overplaying. He is all about tone, which is also great, ... but we'd always get atleast one really stellar solo before, to remind everyone of what Bon Jovi COULD be. This time around, the album clocks in at 49:06, which is just waaaay to short, especially for 12 songs. EVERY song is the standard form, and moderately succinct. Jon says what he needs to then gets out of the song. Again, this has its place, but in a new Bon Jovi album, there needs to be more diversity. Epics, rockers, ballads, anthems, some blues perhaps, some other surprises.... but then, I can't help but act like a parent of the band when I listen to them, or like a piano teacher, I suppose... "You could do better if this", and "It would be REALLY great if that...."

Ultimatley, the band itself is what decides what kind of music it will write. Still, they do try to do what the fans want, and I feel in this review I have the right to ask for more. It's only because I love them so much. I get done with the album and I love it so much that I just want to listen to tracks 13 through 17, which don't exist. Just like New Jersey after Slippery: after Crush, MANY MANY people were guaranteed to buy the followup blindly. It is such a rare opportunity, I don't know how one can NOT put some other features into the album, to show off the band (Dave, write us a piano piece for God's sake! And I'm not talking about Lunar Eclipse), GIVEN there are ALREADY the singles there that will sell the album what it will, nomatter what. If they didn't want the world to hear their music, they would have never done what they've done so far. I hope the band doesn't just sit on the bonus packages that come with the 20 year anniversary so Jon can do movies for a few more years.... the band is REALLY really close to Greatness (again), but they must push onward and make more music. No more 2 albums and 5 year delays!

But just the fact that there IS yet another 'new' BJ album out is an oasis in the desert of a jaded music scene. Which sadly is more than can be said for GNR....

Bounce is a good album.

Well its been two years since CRUSH came out. Two years waiting to see what would Bon Jovi do next?? Well, the wait is over and its been worth it.

Bon Jovi show a more mature attitude to their music. This is not surprising as they claim that the songs are influenced by the events of 11 september 2001.

But this is NOT a 11/9 album! No way! The only song that is related to the events is UNDIVIDED. The rest are mainly about looking to the future and bouncing back.

Here are my recommended tracks:

JOEY (Track Four) is a personal favourite. A beautiful song with an important theme "Hey Joey what are you going to do with your life?" says it all really. You hear Richies undereated voice talent and David is just beautiful on the keyboard.

UNDIVIDED (Track One) Oh yeah I cant complain about this one. Its very heavy on the drums and guitar (more of metal attitude than a rock attitude). Definetly worth a listen!!!!!!!

BOUNCE (Track Eleven) The title says it all- reminds me of ITS MY LIFE. A good tune with meaning- a good pick-me-up.

EVERYDAY (Track Two)- the latest single. Similar to BOUNCE and ITS MY LIFE but still a good tune

Buy it and rock on!!!!...

Bounce is definitely a "must have" Bon Jovi album. This album is stylistically classic Bon Jovi, just older-and more mature with more wisdom. Bon Jovi has never been quite like any other artist and still holds to that reputation. They have the Jersey heart and drive that Springsteen has, but that is where the similarity ends.

This album does begin with the riveting tribute to 9/11, "Undivided," but quickly moves to more upbeat tunes that celebrate life like "Everyday." My favorite, "The Distance," poetically perseveres to a memorable melody. This bands classic storytelling continues, not with Tommy or Gina, with a new character, "Joey". "Right Side of Wrong" tells of nameless characters (compared to Butch and Sundance) on an adventure that ends unfortunately. "Misunderstood" is an open apology that creates a sense of regret. The album also has the expected ballads such as "All About Lovin' You" and "You Had Me from Hello." Both songs leave you feeling like a teenager in love listening to "Never Say Goodbye" but with the experience that "looking at the pages of my life" gives. "Hook Me Up" seems to be the artistic cut that tries to create the story through effects that perceptively leave you hanging. Conceptually, the way they used artistic effects to make a statement reminds me of Alanis Morrissette. "Love Me Back to Life" and "Bounce" are both songs that leave you unable to sit still, overwhelmed with adrenaline.

This album "had me from hello!" Bounce back with Bon Jovi!

Bon Jovi are my all time favourite group. I've loved them from the start back in the 80's. The reason they are still around today is because their fans still love them because they keep producing brilliant cds. This is another great cd and I still listen to it. Love Me Back To Life is my favourite song on here, but they are all good and whilst they do have similar sounds for many of their songs, the thing that separates them all is their lyrics. Jon and Richie together are superb writers and although Everyday is the one hit from this cd, if you go buy it, you will find your own hits on here. All good songs.