Bon Jovi
The Circle
Universal Music

Never thought it’d come to this but well, to be truthful, Bon Jovi’s The Circle comes across as decidedly boring unless you have a thing for meaningless lyrics with choruses that never seem to end.

The album starts with We Weren’t Born to Follow, with lyrics that come across freakishly like something Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus would sing and when Bon Jovi delivers the line “We weren’t born to follow, you gotta stand up for what you believe”, it does sound almost possible.

Just change the tune of the music to something more sugary pop and voila, Girl Power from Hannah Montana.
Then in Work for the Working Man, Bon Jovi asks you “Who’s gonna work for the working man?” It’s laughable because the answer’s obvious, isn’t it? In Malaysia, you get a maid!

The rest of the album flows easily from one track to another. They sound so similar it’s hard to notice where one track starts and another ends unless you’re paying much attention.

Fans and non-fans who’ve heard some of the band’s older stuff will not mistake the tracks on The Circle as being anything other than Bon Jovi material but unfortunately, the album cannot be anything more than a forgettable one. — Masami Mustaza

Bon Jovi DVD Giveaway

 

WE may have given Bon Jovi a bad review, but that doesn’t mean their live show fails to rock our hearts out. We will be giving away five Bon Jovi Live at Madison Square Garden DVDs in conjunction with their new album The Circle and Universal Music’s DVD Bonanza.

 

All you have to do is email your name, address and contact numbers to umusic1@gmail.com with the header Malay Mail/Universal Music Bon Jovi DVD contest and complete the slogan “I love Bon Jovi because…” in less than 20 words.

A reminder to Bon Jovi fans out there, every purchase of The Circle album comes with a free Bon Jovi poster. Be sure not to miss out on it!

AKON
Freedom
Universal Music

So, the third time’s a charm? Not quite, in this album’s case. Although Freedom does showcase a contrast to Akon’s previous albums Trouble and the hit Konvicted in essence, it is basically the same.

His nasal vocal tone and catchy melodies are still present, but this time around, Akon experiments with more dance beats a deviation from his previous mix of Rn’B, hip hop and reggae.

A clear example of this is Beautiful, featuring Colby O’Donis, which is heavily influenced by electro and Eurodance.

While Trouble and Konvicted addressed his former hard-knock life and reaction to fame, this one is almost entirely dedicated to members of the fairer sex. Listening to Freedom will convince you that the man is really just a soppy old romantic.

Tracks such as Be With You and Against the Grain speak of forbidden love, making Akon the new icon for pain and heartbreak, albeit in a lighter tone. However, despite the experimental approach he’s adopted, his urban roots are not forgotten.

The standard Rn’B/hip hop tracks are available for those who favour Akon’s original sound, featuring collaborations with Wyclef (Sunny Day) as well as Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne (I’m So Paid).

And then, there are the bonus tracks check out the reggae mix of Beautiful and some Mandarin verses in an alternate version of Be With You, courtesy of Will Pan.

Not a bad album really, but you’ll get tired of it easily after listening to it a few times. — Aiman Farhah Juahirthe

THE GREGORIANS
All Gregorian
EQ Music

After the breakthrough masterpiece by Michael Cretu Enigma MCMXC a.d. which had latin Gregorian chants of early Christians set to catchy bass rhythms juxtaposed against sensual female breathiness, follow-up Gregorian albums by other copycats have largely been quite insipid and rather forgettable.

In case you’ve missed out on the many such follow-up Gregorian albums, here’s a compilation on two CDs of what you may have missed or might have preferred to.

Without going into the merits of what the Gregorian chants are aimed at (since most of us can’t understand Latin anyhow), this album falls into the esoteric world music category where it’s meant to sooth and calm you as it plays in the background.

It is only after listening to the album several times that you’re able to pick up on the little nuances which will inspire you to get in touch with your spiritual self if you were to really let yourself go and drift with the music.

At worst, this album could be just the antidote needed for your insomnia and should ideally come with a warning label not to be listened to when driving. — Francis C. Nantha

TOKIO HOTEL
Humanoid
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

German teen pop quartet Tokio Hotel’s third (and second English language), full-length album is a significantly louder and considerably darker affair than their previous offerings.

While there’s little doubt that screaming teenage girls will still stand front and centre at the foot of the stage, the band has set its sights on the “First Person Shooter” male demographic this time around, baiting the hook with enough generic sci-fi imagery.

With Bill Kautlitz behind the mic, Tom Kaulitz as guitarist, Georg Listing as bassist and Gustav Schafer as the drummer, the band uplifted the album with the vibe sound of electro rock compared to their previous albums.

It’s more like Depeche Mode- meets-Fall Out Boy melodrama to fuel 100 angry bike rides home from work. That’s not to say that the results aren’t effective, as Humanoid, though predictable and generally harmless, is immaculately crafted, thanks in part to longtime producer David Jost and a handful of A-list engineers.

Automatic is really the killer song of the album as it contains the powerful vocals of Kautlitz and the tight musical work from the band. Moreover the Arcade Fire-like stadium anthem World Behind My Wall also gives listeners some easy listening after being injected with frenzied electro sound for the whole album.

Tokio Hotel may not be matured enough to hang with the big boys and fellow countrymen like Scorpions,
Kraftwerk, Rammstein or now-defunct Atari Teenage Riot yet, but they are most certainly the dark horses pacing up and down the Disney fringe. — Aizat Sharif

AFI
Crash Love
Universal Music

A FIRE Inside, better known as AFI among their soldiers, are still ‘singing the sorrows’ only with more colours with the birth of their new artwork, Crash Love.

The band, which has been in the hardcore scene for more than 18 years, proves to their loyal fans that they still have the element of darkness running through their veins.

The masterminds behind the band, frontman Davey Havok and guitarist Jade Puget evolved their music arrangements with a more vibrant sound and simple lyrics compared to their previous works.

Crash Love, which consists of 12 tracks, provides listeners with easy-listening rock songs like End Transmission, Veronica Sawyer Smokes, Cold Hands and Too Shy To Scream.

In terms of vocals, it’s official that Havok doesn’t scream anymore. We can vividly hear the transitions of their sound from 1995’s Answer That and Stay Fashionable; 1999’s Black Sails in the Sunset; 2003’s Sing the Sorrow to the latest, 2009’s Crash Love, which is very different from their hardcore-punk root when they first started out in 1991.

The band has since evolved and become more radio-friendly over the years. More colourful compared to their previous album, December underground, their first single off the album Medicate has been featured in Guitar Hero 5. Dark yet joyful, Crash Love can be your go-to album to provide you with the soundtracks of your lifetime. — Nadirah H. Rodzi