"I don’t wanna be another wave in the ocean
I am a rock not just another grain of sand
I wanna be the one you run to when you need a shoulder
I ain’t a soldier but I’m here to take a stand"...
Don’t look now but the Jersey Bon Jovi boys have hit the bull’s-eye and birthed yet another rock anthem with Monday’s release of 'Because We Can', the first single from their new record 'What About Now'.
As the countdown clock on bonjovi.com wound down to 7a.m. EST, fans hungering for new music lit up UStream with comments like, “OMG I can’t wait! and ”YAY! New music! Finally!”
When 'Because We Can' started playing, the social comment link lit up with nothing but gleeful compliments for the prolific pied-pipers of the power ballad.
Fans of this irresistible band are legion, loyal and easily moved by all things Jovi.
“OMG I’m SUCH a cow! I’m already crying” sums up the depth of emotion this band can summon with the mere first sounds of a new song, the release of a new video, or the simple saunter of their confident gait as they take the stage.
For weeks speculation had mounted about what the new Bon Jovi music would sound like.
Were fans in for more of the same from ‘The Circle’? Or would the band re-visit past glory with deeply introspective songs the likes of which graced “These Days”; or, would they bow to age and the rigors of touring by unloading ‘Lost Highway’ lite?
Happily, what Bon Jovi delivered today is a song that is instantly likeable, and like their previous hits “Have A Nice Day”, “It’s My Life” and “ Livin’ On A Prayer”, will no doubt will have thousands of fans on their feet fist-pumping and singing along at every show on their upcoming tour.
On first listen, 'Because We Can' exhilarates by opening not with the first stanza of a story followed by chorus, but with the actual chorus backing into the story and doing so with impeccable production values.
Jon Bon Jovi’s voice is fresh and strong with just enough growl; keyboardist David Bryan holds court with a melody line that harkens back to the E Street Band’s Roy Bittan on ‘Hungry Heart’ and skin-pounder Tico Torres is proud and bold driving a revival call-and- respond beat that asserts that this song ain’t no downer.
Fittingly, Richie Sambora’s guitar lines are freshly invigorated and playful, graced with a sonic clarity and a country embellishment that makes this song unlike anything Bon Jovi has produced before.
Pair the guitar work revealed here with the fresh new sounds the Dark Duke crafted on his solo release ‘Aftermath of the Lowdown’, and it’s exciting to consider what re-born Richie has in store for JoviNation on the rest of this disc.
And true to form, 'Because We Can' is deliciously, undeniably and irrepressibly upbeat.
Are you feeling like your love life is stale? Turn it on and listen to what’s possible.
Having a crap day and feeling like a low-tech creature in a high-tech world? Open the windows and play it loud and re-affirm that you’re a rock and not just a grain of sand...just like this band.
In an entertainment industry too often dominated by flash-in-the-pan techno turds and acts that confuse hair color or costumed audacity with quality song chops, Bon Jovi never compromises; never stops believing in the redemptive power of love or loses faith in the transformational transfusion that a good song by a great band can gift the delicate human psyche.
Read more articles by National Bon Jovi Examiner Glenn Osrin here.
Find and follow Glenn Osrin on Twitter @wizardofosrin
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