Bon Jovi: Lost Highway

Label: Island
Sound/Style:  mainstream rock retooled slightly for country crossover appeal

By Steve Morley

Unlike many of their 1980s peers, Bon Jovi have outlived the big-hair era from whence they came, proving themselves to be an enduring and canny force in rock music with no sign of fading from view. Their latest release, Lost Highway, actually topped the charts, due in large part to the band’s recent shift toward the country market – a shrewd move indicative of the band’s commercial savvy. The stretch between today’s pop-influenced country and Bon Jovi’s toothy pop rock isn’t all that implausible, given the middle-class roots both styles have in common. Lost Highway doesn’t pretend to be a Nashville product, though it does nod towards country sensibilities with its tightly written and accessible songs. What makes this different from a standard Bon Jovi album? Primarily, it’s the inspiration that the New Jersey-based band gets from the change of scenery. While the disc is dominated by rock atmospherics and the usual themes of romance and recreation, it also offers some rootsy, heartland fare and a couple of bids for country crossover success.

The self-congratulatory party anthem “We Got It Goin’ On,” a duet with country stars Big and Rich, is a crass and dated-sounding embarrassment, but “Til’ We Ain’t Strangers Anymore” pairs Jon Bon Jovi and Leann Rimes on an emotionally satisfying duet about renewing a love gone dry.

The record’s remaining ballads bear a schmaltzy aftertaste, but the majority of songs reside in a rootsy rock vein, with punchy and memorable choruses rising above the relative lack of lyrical substance. The title cut is a sing-along standout that siphons inspiration from the Carrie Underwood hit “Jesus Take the Wheel,” but relies on shallow faith imagery that lacks conviction. (“So I drive/ Years and miles are flying by/ And waiting there to greet us/ Is my plastic dashboard Jesus/ Hey hey, I’ve finally found my way/ Say goodbye to yesterday…”)

The album’s most overt references to God and Heaven generally sound forced and one-dimensional, as though inserted to accommodate country music’s Bible belt influence. “Everybody’s Broken” does attempt to make a meaningful statement about pain and emptiness but offers pat answers and minimizes the impact of the topic for the sake of commercial appeal: “It’s okay to be a little broken/ Everybody’s broken in this life/ It’s okay to feel a little broken/ Everybody’s broken, you’re alright, it’s alright.”

The most authentic spirituality on the record is found on a pair of tracks co-written by Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, whose recent divorce proceedings were splattered across tabloid headlines. If Sambora’s songwriting voice is indeed the dominant one on these tracks, it accounts for the deeper emotional current, which is otherwise in short supply. “The Last Night,” about the need for a human connection, is a song that transcends romantic desires and taps into the search for something bigger than ourselves, while “One Step Closer” addresses personal transformation in a style that recalls Tom Petty. (“Standing on the corner of hello and goodbye/ All alone, it’s there I made up my mind/ Now I’m one step closer/ With my arms open wide/ I’m one step closer/ And I’m willing to try.”

Lost Highway isn’t as off the beaten path as its title might suggest, taking only a few detours from standard-issue rock. By taking some alternate routes, Bon Jovi may stir up interest across stylistic boundary lines, but they’re still following the same map, more or less.

Audio Clips

"Lost Highway"

"Summertime"

"(You Want To) Make A Memory"

"Whole Lot of Leavin'"