Have a Nice Day

This album is Mastered for iTunes. Bon Jovi’s ninth studio album picks up where 2002’s Bounce left off—trying (and succeeding) to make sense of arena rock at the dawn of the 21st century. But listen closely to Have a Nice Day, and you’ll hear Jon Bon Jovi expanding on lyrical themes previously uncharted by the New Jersey native. The anthemic title track opens with his immediately recognisable rasp. He hints at his frustration with the state of the world as he sings “We’re living in the broken home of hopes and dreams”. The power ballad “Welcome to Wherever You Are” swaps out electric guitars for an acoustic six-string before “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” brings back the rock. Bon Jovi’s lyrics champion backpedaling in a world obsessed with clichés like “never looking back” and “soldiering forward”. In the hard-driving “Last Man Standing”, he cleverly lampoons the current state of pop music and those who lip-synch to pre-recorded songs. “Bells of Freedom” nods to Bob Dylan while hinting at the commercial country direction Bon Jovi would take with its following album, 2007’s Lost Highway.