Keep the Faith

Keep the Faith is a great transitional work on which Bon Jovi tightens the festive, flamboyant 1980s image a little and heads toward heavier guitar and mature singing. Welcoming producer Bob Rock, under his weighty production, it puts forward a grown-up hard rock adapted to the new era of the 1990s. Jon Bon Jovi’s voice, while keeping power, draws confusion, hope and the wavering of relationships more deeply from song to song. From the power of the opener “I Believe” and the forward-moving title track “Keep the Faith” to the grand expanse of the moving ballad classic “Bed of Roses,” the album beautifully makes big hooks and deep introspection coexist, while the lyricism of “In These Arms,” the epic “Dry County” and a cut like “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” convey the work’s fullness. The band’s musical growth can be clearly seen. A record showing a figure that broke away from the merely flamboyant 1980s style and grew powerfully into a deeper, grown-up rock band. As the last studio album with the original five-piece lineup, it vividly reflects the band’s great change. Though a transitional work, its content is extremely fulfilling. Announcing Bon Jovi’s new maturity, it is a powerful, important record.