The Circle (2009)

Bon Jovi delivered 4 brand new records from 2000 to 2007 with the same number of World Tours supporting them. In 2008 the band earned the award for the most profitable tour of the year and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi promised to give the band some rest. So what made the 4 Jersey rockers to rush into the studio and release yet another record before the end of the decade?

According to singer, songwriter and band front man, Jon Bon Jovi, the urge came with the subject matter of the happenings of 1 year before when the financial crisis reached its climax and the first Afro American President was elected in the United States of America. And as soon as we start listening to 'The Circle' record this subject jumps in your face as it is on most of its tracks. Jon also said they were supposed to deliver 2 new songs to add to a volume 2 of their greatest hits, but the songs they had wouldn't fit such project as they were part of something bigger: an album worth of material that had its beginning, middle and end, and would easily fall short if any 2 tracks were taken out of their context. Fact of the matter is all tracks on this album are part of a whole, everything fits together and like pieces of a puzzle, all the songs contribute to an overall project that is more than a collection of songs, they are pat of a story, written in chapters, that can hardly be understood if some of the songs are skiped. The story is of a Time of change, in which nothing is certain and only a blind faith can guide us out. After all, the same faith Tommy and Gina had 23 years before, that was shouted out loud in their 1992 record's fist single 'Keep the Faith', or at their 2000's bold statement "It's my life".


The record starts with its first single "We were not born to follow" and musically it kicks off well, since it puts Bon Jovi exactly where they were before their "Country" adventure "Lost Highway". The song is reminiscent of "Have a Nice Day" with powerful words that only fail to deliver when they kind of stretch the use of so many "Ohh Yeahs". This is Bon Jovi's signature sound for this decade and if at first it sounded only as yet another "It's my Life"/"Everyday"/"Have a Nice Day", it is understandable why they picked it as the album's lead single.

"When we were beautiful" is a shocking second track as it is so different from the album's opener. Personally I think it shouldn't have been placed in this position as it introduces a completely new kind of sound for the band. This is an epic Ode with tribal chants and an atmosphere that makes us think we are at the gates of heaven. The words are vague and ambiguous, making its meaning different according to the person who is listening. Overall a ground breaking track.

"Work for the working man" starts with a base line that remind us of "Livin'on a prayer", and as the song goes by, songs like "Undivided" and "Another reason to believe", both from the "Bounce" era, come to our minds, as the rhythm is quite similar. The lyrics are powerful, but the song completely fails to deliver emotion as it musically sounds like a demo. When I listen to this track I feel they failed to do the same kind of work they did with "Last man standing", that in its "This Left Feels Right" version also lacked strength, and in its rock version really shined, becoming one of the highlights of their 2005 record.

"Superman Tonight" should have been placed after 'Beautiful' as it starts slow and builds up stronger and stronger to its chorus. It is a cinematic ballad with the kind of boy/girl lyrics the band nails so well. The song is epic and shows the band at the top of their game, only if it were completely original, but it isn't. The fact is this song is too similar to U2's "Who's gonna ride your wild horses" and specially at the beginning of the chorus it's almost impossible for people who know the U2 song not to remember it. Also, this is the first song where B section guitars start to appear. This is something the band usually didn't do, but very usual on the Edge's guitar playing, making me think it is a John Shanks production idea. And this is where production starts completely derailing.

"Bullet" is a perfect example of a great song that is overproduced: too many guitars, too much confusion, there is no distinction between instruments. The track's overdubs make it obvious it's a studio job and not a live band who is playing. The bridge for the song is great, and so is the guitar solo but it is completely ruined by the excess of production. "Thorn in my side" is another U2 guitar effect's song, again pushed too much, production wise, to feel real and natural. This one still resembles either "Complicated" and "Story of my Life", but fails to get to any of the mentioned song's levels due to overproduction.

Jon's storyteller moment comes with "Live before you die", which despite being a mix of "Joey" and "Love me back to Life" from "Bounce", is a whole breath of fresh air in the album, since we finally hear a song that fits together as a whole, meaning that piano, guitar, drums, orchestra and Jon's voice all work together, not competing, but contributing each to an overall picture that is bigger than the sum of the parts. I believe this song is a fine example of how good song writers Jon and Richie are, and how easily they can achieve something grand.

If U2's guitar sounds had been unnoticed so far it is impossible to escape them in "Brokenpromiseland", an attempt to create an epic piece, but which completely fails as the instruments struggle with each other, turning this to a confusing exercise that is impossible to replicate live. The lyrics are the song's strength, but are lost in the middle of so many noises. Again overproduction killed the song.

"Love's the only rule" is a faith statement that embodies the message the band carries and is delivered with beautiful arrangements and a superb guitar work. Lyrics at Bon Jovi's best and yet an annoying guitar rhythm b section that comes out of nowhere, followed by a drum beat that, not being able to destroy a master piece, still hurts it bad enough to diminish it. This time production didn't kill the song, but it still prevent it from shining as much as it would have naturally shined.

"Fast Cars" is an OK ballad that much like 'Superman' builds up very well to the chorus (again with unnecessary echoing guitars) and, much like the former, resembling another existing band: "Coldplay" are easily recognized specially at the bridge where the keyboards replicate the English band signature sound. Overall this one feels like pieces that are disconnected and that were glued in the studio.

"Happy Now" is a strangely high song for the band in their late 40's. It's full of political meaning and tries to build an epic chorus. Yet, again it fails as so many sounds merge to something that is hard to distinguish. This is another fine example of a song with lot's of potential that fails to deliver hence is so stretched. It's like the band can't create emotion and so have to build it artificially - it simply falls short and sounds fake.

"Learn to Love" is a simple song that needs little to actually work. The song brings to the album the same vibe the song "Hallelujah" brought during the 'Lost Highway' tour, sounding fresh, energetic and most of all real, something that comes from the heart and is not made in the studio. Perfect album finale.

All in all for a Bon Jovi album this is an awkward album. If it is true the songs are all connected through a subject matter they are also connected by an artificial skin that covers too many layers of sounds to make this an enjoyable record to listen to.

After listening to the whole record I find "We weren't Born to Follow" as one of my favorites, even though it was disappointing when I first listened to it. The band tried to go ahead and once again step forward and one thing is true they tried to make it an emotional experience. It's a shame though the production was able to cover all that emotion with endless layers of sounds.

This is something that had actually happened before with their 2nd record "7800º Fahrenheit", but no one would ever think they would do the same mistake after learning their lesson with "Slippery When Wet". Bon Jovi songs, like Bruce Fairbain showed, need little production. They need only to highlight the melody, which is what this band does naturally well.

I honestly think that with a different producer this would have been an extraordinary album, since all the songs have a great potential, only failing in the final shape and not in its content.

The band embarked in a 2 year world tour to promote the album, including epic performances such as 4 nights at New Jersey's new "Meadowlands Stadium", a 12 night residency at the O2 arena in London and stadium shows both in South America and Australia (places the band didn't tour much over the previous 15 years). The intense touring schedule earned them the award for the most profitable band of 2010 for the second time in their career and allowed them to release their second 'Greatest Hits' and announce the band would take some time off after the 2011 tour.

Bon Jovi, as part of the music legacy of our Era, have already proven to be able to deliver an outstanding emotional thrill and yet with 'The Circle' the studio versions haven't achieved it. Songs like 'Thorn in my side', 'Happy Now', 'Bullet' and 'Love's the only Rule' improved a lot live, while studio balanced 'Live before you die' and 'Learn to Love' were never even played on live shows. On the other hand tracks like 'Brokenpromisedland' and 'Fast Cars' proved not to work both on the record or live, while both 'We weren't Born to Follow' and 'When we were Beautiful' became successful during live shows. Overall some of the song's live versions earned 'The Circle' its own rightful place among the band's discography, becoming another successful chapter in the band's career. 7/10