Have A Nice Day

Performer: Bon Jovi
Artist: Jennifer Nettles
Producer: Richie Sambora; John Shanks; Jon Bon Jovi; Rick Parashar; Dann Huff
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi (vocals); Richie Sambora (guitar, background vocals); David Bryan (keyboards); Hugh McDonald (bass guitar); Tico Torres (drums). Additional personnel: Jennifer Nettles (vocals). Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi's ninth studio album of original material, picks up where 2002's Bounce left off, showcasing a harder, heavier band than either 2000's Crush or Jon Bon Jovi's 1997 solo effort, Destination Anywhere. Not only that, but this 2005 album finds Jon Bon Jovi picking up on the serious undercurrent of Bounce, writing a series of angry, somber neo-protest songs that form the heart of this record. While he's not exactly explicitly political here, there's little question that he's dissatisfied with the world today, whether it's about life in small town America or the sorry state of pop music; he even goes so far to write a variation on Bob Dylan's classic "Chimes of Freedom" with "Bells of Freedom." Since he's stretching out lyrically, the band finds a comfort zone in sticking in the tried-and-true arena rock that's been their signature sound for 20 years now. While they sound appropriately grand and powerful -- this is one of the few groups that sounds right at home in large venues -- at times they pump up their choruses a little bit too much, so they sound strident, not anthemic. That heavy-handedness, coupled with a loud but colorless production from Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, and John Shanks, with Desmond Child acting as executive producer for the whole thing, gives Have a Nice Day a sound that's a bit too monochromatic for the band's ambitions, or for its own good: at times, getting through the record can be a little bit of a chore, since there's not much fun to be had here. Nevertheless, it's hard not to admire Jon Bon Jovi's attempt to stretch himself, particularly when he balances his earnestness with tunes as gentle as "Wildflower." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine True troubadours of arena rock and pop-metal, Bon Jovi were not only still standing in the 2000s, they were still releasing albums of original material that packed much of the melodic wallop and anthemic muscle of their efforts from the '80s and early '90s. A case in point is 2005's HAVE A NICE DAY, which finds the band mining a harder rock sound and producing bigger, more sweeping choruses than ever before. Despite the classic Bon Jovi sound, however, singer Jon Bon Jovi's lyrics are by turns thoughtful (he even conjures the specter of Bob Dylan on "Bells of Freedom," a nod to Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom") and romantic ("Wildflower"). Though the mix doesn't always work, Bon Jovi sounds plenty energized here, and young-at-heart enough to still crank up the volume. HAVE A NICE DAY sports the streamlined rock punch and pop smarts on which the band has built its reputation.

Rolling Stone (No. 984, p.154) - 3 stars out of 5 "...Bon Jovi have kept their arena anthems simple and sweaty...."

In the early 1980s, aspiring New Jersey musician John Bongiovi assembled a rock band, secured a record deal, and changed his name to Jon Bon Jovi. By 1986, Bon Jovi's brand of melodic hard rock was a runaway hit, with the band's third album, SLIPPERY WHEN WET, achieving massive international success. In addition to the catchy singles, the singer's chiseled good looks only led to more adoration and, eventually, movie and TV roles. By channeling the earnestness of his hero, Bruce Springsteen, and reining in his glammy look, Bon Jovi outlasted his hair-metal peers for decades beyond their '80s heyday.

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