This Left Feels Right

For most people the first time they listen to this cd, they are in shock. It is a great departure from Bon Jovi's usual sound. In every album they have made they have grown in expression and dimension. This album is an even greater growth. Yes, the sound is different, and it takes a little getting used to, but if you really listen to the songs and the way the band portrays them, they are wonderful. They have taken their music and creativity to an all new level. As an avid fan club member, I was even shocked and almost apalled the first time I heard the cd, but then I realized this was not meant to replace the music we all love, but to expand on it and look at it in a broader spectrum.

Why?

This Left Feels Right (2003.) A collection of Bon Jovi remaking their older tunes.

In the eighties, Bon Jovi made a name for themselves as one of the finest power rock bands of the decade. They shelled out hit after hit, and it seemed as if they were the band that could do no wrong. But come 1988, and the band entered a downward spiral from which they have never recovered. In 2003, the band decided to try an interesting little experiment - Remaking their older tunes with their newer sound. How does this experiment work? Read on for my review.

After listening to this album, I felt like crying - and I DON'T mean tears of joy! Bon Jovi has taken the masterpieces that made them such a great band, and turned them into pathetic, wimpy ballads. Ever since 1988 the band has continued to go downhill, and this album is pretty close to the bottom of the barrel. Admittingly, some of these remakes aren't terrible (hence the rating of two stars instead of just one), but if you're in a band and you undergo a massive sound shift, you NEVER redo your older work! Metallica stands as a fine example of this phenomenon. I also think it is stupid that the band added the "Greatest Hits With A Twist" subtitle to this album, because it is NOT a hits compilation. If you're a fan of EVERYTHING Bon Jovi has ever done, then check this out. But if you're only a fan of their hard rocking tunes from the eighties, like myself, keep clear!

I could not have been much more disappointed with this collection. Why do bands keep redoing their older songs and ruining them? This concept NEVER WORKS! The best advice I can give you is to listen to this album BEFORE you buy it, even if you're a die-hard fan. You don't want to waste money on something you're likely to end up hating.