Bon Jovi more than '80s star

Bon Jovi's new release, Bounce, is the band's eighth studio album. The group's last release, Crush, sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, and the band is back with a thrust of arena rock and big ballads.\nWhen Jon Bon Jovi's not acting or performing with the band at the New York Stock Exchange, he's somewhere writing a song about needing his lover to survive. Richie Sambora has accepted this tendency and has put his ego aside to add a harder edge to his singer/songwriter's talents. The effect Sept. 11 had on Jon gives the album authority and substance. Bon Jovi has come a long way since the '80s metal madness that popularized the band. \nThere is a Billy Joel/Elton John influence in the ballads, which are filled with soothing piano and acoustic finger picking. Jon's songwriting abilities are an essential addition to the big production of this album. "Hey Joey" sounds like Elton John's "Levon" and is a heartfelt ballad dedicated to a boy who is fighting for his dreams. \nBon Jovi proves it is much more than a garage band with its ballads. "Right Side of Wrong" is a song that combines the brilliant sound of "Bed of Roses" with the struggles of love in "Livin' on a Prayer." This song is Jon's greatest songwriting credit, even if he stole part of the progression from Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." It's a saga of a couple going against the law and robbing a bank for their love to survive. \n"Bounce," the title track, has a catchy chorus and major pop appeal, and it will most likely be Bon Jovi's next single. It has fast guitar riffs and a synthesized talk box that have a spring that was used in "Livin' on a Prayer" and "It's My Life." Many of the songs have this element, which gives the album superficiality. Bon Jovi has shown it's matured since the head-banging '80s with big REO Speedwagon love ballads, even though the pop metal anthems sound alike.