Bon Jovi has always been a guitar band and it appears that on recent albums Sambora's signature licks are relegated to the side. Why, because it's a radio trend at this moment in time? Music should be timeless striving to be hip to that moment in time. Whenever one sits down and attempts to write a universal anthem they most often fail. One has to remember that "Livin' On A Prayer" and "It's My Life" were initially not deemed worthy of release. I have a feeling the band wants to remain relevant and on top of the commercial heap and they are trying to figure out what will attract the largest audience. What they don't seem to understand is that if they followed their own muse and if it's truly great, the audience will seek them out, instead of the band trying to the point of force-feeding it down everyone's throats. With the album ten weeks away, I have a feeling I will never want to hear this song again by November 10th (the album's release date).

The business aspect of music has evolved centuries in the last decade and it feels as if Bon Jovi is playing the same game as if it were 1988. Terrestrial radio means nothing these days and more often than not captures people who are very casual fans of music. I have nothing wrong with anyone creating a song for the masses, but it has to be truthful, honest and from the heart. At this moment in time, I'm just not feeling it. It feels manipulative. Have you ever gone out to breakfast with a sweet tooth and ordered chocolate chip pancakes? When the plate arrives, you dive in, devour what you can, but about half way through you begin to feel full and dosed with far too much sugar. You don't finish them and at the end you vow to never order them again because they're just too darn sweet. That's what "We Weren't Born To Follow" feels like. It has a welcoming chorus with universal themes that won't make you turn the dial, but it is too safe to be revealing in the future. The song has been out only a week and I reserve the right to change my mind, but I can't see that happening at this moment in time. No band provides me with a more emotional release than Bon Jovi and they are largely responsible for my love of music in general, but I want my artists to challenge me and it's not happening with Bon Jovi over the last few records and from what I have heard from The Circle, I have doubts they ever will again.

I love pop music. It makes you feel good and gives you a brief high (much like chocolate chip pancakes), but what happens when that high wears off? There is a reason that the catalogs of Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and Guns N' Roses continue to sell by the millions every year because even decades after they were released, people are discovering the intricate beauty of their music because these were acts who forged their own sound, didn't play by the rules and defiled the status quo. The irony of "We Weren't Born To Follow" is that the band appears to be doing just that; playing it safe following trends instead of creating their own.