Bounce (2002)

After a successful comeback in 2000 that allowed Bon Jovi to re-establish themselves as an influential Rock act, reaching a brand new generation and appealing to old fans who were longing for their return, the band planned to take some time off. However, just a couple of months after their World Tour had come to an end after 2 sold out shows on their home state premiere venue: Giants Stadium, 9/11 took place and the band couldn't help but to participate in some of the initiatives to pay tribute to the heroes and raise the nation's morale. The event couldn't be ignored and hence it became the inspiration for a brand new album.



The final quarter of 2001 and the first half of 2002 was dedicated to the process of composing and recording what later would become the band's 8th studio album. The band opted to keep the successful formula they had adopted for the previous LP and recorded the album in Jon's home studio, Sanctuary II, in Middletown, NJ, with producer Luke Ebbin. In stead of broadcasting 24/7, BJ TV was released as episodes in the band's web site, documenting some of the recording sessions of the album. Jon also took some time during 2002 to further his acting career, playing the lead on Derek Bliss' Vampire movie, "Los Muertos", as well as participating in a handful of episodes of the successful TV final season of Ally McBeal. The lead singer's acting career had begun in the 90s, but this would be the record where his experiences in the acting world would become more obvious.

The album was named Bounce, after the different meanings the word can assume in different contexts, and it was released internationally in September of 2002. The album was not only the band's answer to 9/11, but, like lead singer Jon Bon Jovi put it, a snapshot of their lives between September 2001 and June 2002.

The album's opener, 9/11 rise up epic Undivided couldn't fit better: a heavy guitar riff combined with an anthemic chorus and guitar solo in the vein of the band's best tradition. "One for Love, One for truth .. Where we once were divided, now we stay united, we stand as one. Undivided!". After penning all the hurt and anger in a couple of demos that soon were dropped, the band was able to write a positive, energetic and inspiring song that captures what Bon Jovi knows how to deliver as no other band in the world: a positive message in a catchy melody.

Everyday, the album's lead single, captured the 9/11 emotion to establish a brand new start, where there was no more "crying", "sweating" or "dying", the time was to move on and to embrace life, living everyday to the most. Although grounded in a fast beat and heavy guitars, the song couldn't disguise its roots in the band's previous hit: It's my Life. No doubt it is a decent song and probably the best single the album could produce, since it is representative of the album's theme. However, it would add no one to the band's fan base, being dropped as a live regular immediately after the album's tour was concluded.

The Distance is an epic that is able to combine meaningful metaphors, dramatic harmonies and yet more heavy chords in a balanced 4 minute song of hope. The song includes an emotional orchestration and cinematic visions that carry the listener to an imaginary world filled with colors and sensations. It is perhaps the first on the album that is not solely grounded on 9/11, but also on Jon's experiences in the movies. By this track it is impossible to ignore Richie Sambora's quest to use his then brand new Flying V guitar, whose heavy chords are a constant in these three first tracks of the album.

Joey is a story telling exercise founded on piano and it provides the first sign David Bryan participated in the record. The catchy harmonies that sound while Joey Key's adventures are unveiled are pleasant and again very cinematic. However, it is impossible not to remember Jon's cover of Elton John's classic Levon, whose similarities to Joey are able to diminish the latter.

Misunderstood was the album's second single and it is easy to understand why it was chosen. It's an easy sing along choir combined with a catchy melody that provides a radio friendly sound impossible to ignore. The song is about a guy who is in "the dog house", begging for forgiveness of his lover, after messing up once again. It was possibly one of the band's most favorites on the album to comment and play live, and originated a funny video that was able to capture the song's thematic very well. However, despite all the song's strengths, and much like its predecessor, it is also impossible to ignore the similarities between this song and a song that was a hit at the time: The Calling's Wherever you will go. The band re-recorded Misunderstood for its radio release, adding a different arrangement, but eventually it wasn't able to climb the charts.

All about Loving you is a power ballad founded in the tradition of the band's old hits of the genre. The song describes the regardless love the character feels for his love one in a guitar driven melody accompanied by a couple of piano notes. Despite emotional, the song lacked harmonies and much like Crush's power ballads, it is unbalanced, sounding generally over the top. The song was released as the album's 3rd and final single, being promoted with a very emotional video in which the main character remembered his love story after jumping out of a sky scrapper, only to open a para shoot and propose to is love one. Although clever and appealing to the album's focus, it failed to capture the general public's attention.

Hook me up brings the heavy guitars back in almost 4 minutes of an interesting story about a kid who got stuck in the middle of the war in Afghanistan, trying to communicate with the outside world. The song is again very cinematic, easily bringing images to the listener's mind. Based on a fast pace the song ends up becoming one of the album's most interesting exercises.

Right side of Wrong is perhaps one of the band's finest piano driven ballads, yet again very cinematic, which could easily had been picked for a Sopranos episode, as Jon likes to mention. The song is extremely emotional and one of the most balanced of the album, having an exceptional guitar solo, an amazing orchestration and arrangements worth to be included in the most dramatic movie scenes ever made. Unlike Joey it doesn't resemble any popular song, although it pertinently borrows a couple of popular quotes, like Lennon's "Life was just what happened while we were busy making plans", something the band had already used their audience to. Truly an extraordinary composition, brilliantly arranged and superbly delivered.

Love me back to life is along The Distance a great cinematic mid tempo which is able to build a world of sensations in the listener's mind. This broken hearted dramatic call is extremely emotional and is able to merge an epic melody, outstanding arrangements and inspiring lyrics. Too bad that much like Joey and Misunderstood it reminds any careful listener of the Goo Goo Doll's hit single Iris.

The album then slows down again with the acoustic ballad You had me from hello, an innocent ballad that steals the line from the movie Jerry Maguire. Despite full of harmonies and formally well built, it becomes predictable and harmful. A decent demo, but easy to forget in the broader picture.

The title track Bounce follows and we finally start to head bang towards faster beats. Much like the 2000 typical Bon Jovi singles, it is edgy, short and driven by a catchy guitar riff and easy sing along chorus, containing an optimistic vision of a long relation, whether it's a couple in love, or friends in a rock band. Although short, the song simply works, providing the perfect optimistic threads after the tragic events of 9/11.

The album's 12th and final song is another acoustic ballad, Open all night was written while Jon was recording on the set of Ally McBeal and is the typical love song that in spite of inspired, emotional and honest, becomes boring and predictable.

The Japanese release also included 2 extra songs: No Regrets, a raw innocent rocker with a catchy guitar riff and an easy sing along chorus, (not to mention a fast paced impressive guitar solo,) and Postcards from the wasteland, another decent acoustic ballad that adds nothing to the overall result, despite lyrically and musically very passionately delivered.

Musically, Bounce is a bipolar record, and it probably could have been better shaped if split into two sides of an old vinyl release, since it consists of 2 very different sets of songs. On the one hand there are the commercially driven tracks that either faster or slower target the mainstream market. The first set of songs are Undivided, Everyday, Misunderstood, All about loving you, Love me back to life and Bounce, while The Distance, Joey, Hook me up, Right side of wrong, You had me from hello and Open all night consist of a more cinematic driven set of compositions that could have easily been used for a soundtrack. There is also an issue regarding the flow of the album, since it never completely takes off. Too many ballads and slow numbers prevent the beat to keep up for more than 2 songs in a row.

The song writing is another aspect that assumes a major role on the album, while the cinematic influences are a constant in most of the songs, which led to the production of 12 videos, one for each song on the record, that eventually were sold in a promotional campaign that saw the band teaming up with American TV network QVC, as a new means to promote the album and establish the band not only as a Rock act, but as a brand, whose merchandise could be advertised by any means and on any channel of the media.

The marketing for the album was huge. The band teamed with American XS in order to cause a huge impact in the music bizz, giving away exclusive digital content to the people who bought the record. The album's artwork was based on the idea of a global transmission of the band's music, hence a huge investment that went from a promotional video for Everyday, recorded in Nasa's HQ in Socorro, NM, USA, to a handful of significant warm up gigs that allowed the band to get major media attention. The gigs went from a London's Wembley arena festival, to an NFL launch concert in Times Square for 500 000 people, broadcasted live by music TV channel VH-1, culminating in a global internet broadcast of their album's presentation in London's tiny theater 'Shepherd's Bush Empire'. The band teamed up with networks world wide and even screened the concert in selected theaters in major cities around the world. The album's first single had been climbing up the charts for 2 months and with all this promotion it wasn't a surprise when the album debuted at nr 2 in the American Billboard chart, becoming the band's most successful album debut.

The tour became a tremendous success, since the band returned to Australia for 3 short shows in a Rock Festival, followed by 8 sold out arena shows in Japan. The band then spent 2 and a half months performing arena shows in North America, followed by 15 stadium shows in Europe, wrapping up in Hyde Park, where they performed before 92 000 people. The tour was also very popular among fans, since it included a handful of selected half acoustic, half electric performances and passionate internet polls about songs that would be performed during live broadcasts of encores in some of the band's final stadium shows. The tour wrapped up in North America with another batch of 15 stadium shows, culminating, as the previous tour, in their home state of New Jersey, with 2 sold out shows at Giants Stadium.

Just 1 year after Everyday had been released and 2 years after the the tragic events that set the album's direction, the band had come full circle and ended the Bounce chapter. But as this chapter had just ended, there was another one already in its way, since the band had already engaged a new project, regarding an acoustic record, for which the band had already some live and studio recordings, captured during the tour. So as the Bounce project fade out, fans were already looking forward the release of an acoustic album in time for the Christmas season of 2003.

Overall, Bounce sounds very commercially driven, hence almost every song clocking bellow the 4 minutes, but ultimately Bon Jovi chose a musical path and, unlike their previous release Crush that was characterized by its diversity, the band establishes a coherent sound whether based on heavy guitars, cinematic harmonies or acoustic ballads. As time went by it come to notice that Bounce was more of a a stepping stone that would allow the band to transition from the diversity of Crush to the conceptual integrity of 2005 Bounce follow up, Have a Nice Day. 7/10