Search - Bon Jovi :: Slippery When Wet

Way Overrated.....but......

Sean Moloney | 07/20/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Believe it or not, I was a Bon Jovi fan when thier self-titled debut came out, I started wavering when 7800 farenheit came out, then finally completely gave up when this hit the airwaves. Yes it sold billions and billions, but something about it just put me off. Without question the single most overrated album ever, (However, it's still being chased by Nirvana's 'Nevermind') it's so completely and utterly commercial it's almost absolutely intolerable. The big hits 'You give love a bad name', and 'Livin on a prayer' are the worst offenders, complete sell-out songs with no emotional value or genuineness to be found. Jon Bon Jovi is the most Overrated frontman ever, and his bland voice is constantly overtracked multiple times to attempt to give it some emotion. His songwriting is also generic and cliche filled. So, you ask, why 2 stars and the 'but' in the title of this review? There are actually flickers of life in this overproduced overhyped piece of work. 'I'd die for you' actually has a pulse, and go ahead and poke fun at me all you want, but 'Wanted dead or alive' actually works, and was different from everything else on here. Now... here comes the 'but'. While his work on here is generic hair-metal shredding, Richie Sambora manages to at least make you wonder where the talent in this band actually is. Fast forward to Jon Bon Jovi's solo effort 'Destination Anywhere' and Sambora's solo masterpiece 'Stranger in this town' and the wonder disappears. It took Sambora getting away from the limitations of Jon Bon Jovi's lack of talent to reveal his true brilliance. (That said, DO NOT HESITATE and buy 'Stranger in this town' RIGHT NOW! It is a true masterpiece by a brilliant and talented musician!) Finally, this album gives the "Hair Metal" genre a bad name, (Pun Intended?) but there were plenty of good bands in that genre. So without this fluff opening the door, legitimate, talented bands like Danger Danger, Night Ranger, White Lion, and the most underrated band ever, Cinderella, (Ironically discovered by Jon Bon Jovi but more talented and genuine than anything he's ever done. And Tom Keifer is the artist Jon Bon Jovi wishes he was!) would never have gotten a shot. 'Slippery when wet' isn't very good, and in 2010 it sounds incredibly dated. It's lightweight, overly commercial, predictable, and Jon Bon Jovi sings on it, which alone makes it a tough listen. BUT...it does have brief moments. I can still listen to 'I'd die for you' and it brings a smile to my face, and parts of 'Wanted dead or alive' can still make me want to sing along at the top of my lungs. And without it, we wouldn't have Sambora's masterpiece 'Stranger in this Town', Cinderella's brilliant 'Long Cold Winter', or Danger Danger's underappreciated 'Screw It'. Every cloud has a Silver lining right?"