New Jersey

New Jersey is the fourth album on which Bon Jovi pulls together thick guitar, powerful rhythm and huge, hummable choruses at extremely high polish. Never losing the momentum of the hugely successful previous Slippery When Wet, it expands it further. The songs, while straight, have vocals and band momentum united, generating a strong lift in the listener. From the grandeur of the opener “Lay Your Hands on Me,” the momentum of the powerful “Bad Medicine” and the catchiness of “Born to Be My Baby” to the sentimental ballad classic “I’ll Be There for You,” the album has the varied, rich expression of arena rock, while cuts like “Living in Sin” and “Blood on Blood” convey the work’s fullness. This album, too, reached number one on the US chart. A record that powerfully proved the previous album’s huge success was by no means chance but the result of sure ability, expanding that success further. Not merely flashy, the even fullness of the songs shows the band’s maturity as songwriters. An overwhelmingly powerful masterpiece symbolizing Bon Jovi’s golden age of the 1980s — a fulfilling record essential for fans.