Bon Jovi

The Circle

Mercury

Rating: 2/5

With a new studio album every two years, few bands could challenge Bon Jovi as the most prolific rockers on the planet. But it's perhaps been at the cost of that indefinable spark that might have made The Circle special, rather than merely competent. The single 'We Weren't Born To Follow' is typical, with sentiments of comradely resistance pumped up by steroid riffs featuring choppy guitar. In 'Brokenpromiseland', the fuzzy desire to escape despair leads to absurd contradictions in lines such as "There's hope I know, out on that lonely road/ 'Cause home is where you are and where I am". Huh?

Download: 'We Weren't Born To Follow'