Bon Jovi's album tells of lives, loves and losses

7/4/2007 9:16:32 AM

By Chelsea Carter

Associated Press 

They still look like the Bon Jovi of old -- their leather jackets and jeans. And they still act like the boys from New Jersey, proud of their musical brotherhood that spawned numerous hit albums and No. 1 singles.

But still, there is something different, something unexpected from one of the biggest rock bands of the past few decades. At first listen, it's their sound. It's well ... different. And perhaps even more surprising, it's intentional, they say.

Fresh off their crossover success with a country remake of "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, which earned them the sole Grammy of their 25-year career, Bon Jovi is releasing the country-influenced album "Lost Highway".

While the albums of Bon Jovi's career have tended in the past decade to be more socially or politically influenced ("Bounce" was inspired by 9/11, "Have A Nice Day" followed the presidential election), this album appears to be personal, inspired by the band members lives, loves and losses.

"Richie (Sambora) and David (Bryan) suffered a lot in the last year, a lot of pain. In what had been a very peaceful decade and a half, suddenly there was a lot of pain in the organization," Bon Jovi said. "I think it was cathartic for Richie to express with me or through me the hell he has been dealing with: losing his dad, losing the wife. And David, it's the same thing. So it was an easy record to write."

It's perhaps this relationship between band mates that is laid open in the song "A Whole Lot Of Leaving," a song that clearly invites the country music influence onto the album.

Bon Jovi said he knows the success of country remake of "Who Says You Can't Go Home" laid a welcome mat of sorts for them in Nashville. But he added: "I'm not a carpetbagger."

He quickly pointed out that he and Sambora have been making trips to Nashville for years to meet with artists, producers or to find inspiration for their musical storytelling.

"Listen to it. I don't think it's that different than a Bon Jovi record. It's not a Bon Jovi does country record," he said. "I think I was at fault for trying to explain myself, for misrepresenting us, for saying we're going to Nashville to make a country record."

Country music, he said, is the music of Alan Jackson and Vince Gill. He said "Lost Highway" is much more in tune with country-to-rock crossover artists, such as Sugarland and Big & Rich, who also make an appearance on the album's rocking "We Got It Going On" number.

As the band readies to release its new album, the irony of a rock band winning it's only Grammy in a country music category for a remake is not lost on Bon Jovi.

"We were a nine-time Grammy loser. Nine times," Sambora said. "The juxtaposition is really crazy."

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