Gary Graff of Billboard reports:
Bon Jovi’s upcoming What About Now? will mark a musical “evolution” for the band, but not to the point that might be off-putting to group’s worldwide legion of fans.
Guitarist Richie Sambora tells Billboard that “Jon (Bon Jovi) and I, when we get together it sounds like Bon Jovi. It sounds like us. That’s basically the way it is and what comes out comes out.” But for What About Now?, due out this spring, he says the band and co-producer John Shanks focused on dynamics, and “just basically pushing the production a bit more or lessening the production so you’re a bit more naked. It goes both ways on this particular record. We’ve stripped it down, taken some away and added some different elements.”
Meanwhile, Sambora says the album’s first single, Because We Can, which will be released on January 7th, is indicative of the album’s upbeat tone to the album. “The lyrics are very positive — obviously Because We Can, What About Now?, it’s all empowering and that’s what we were trying to get to. We were trying to get some positive lyrics. That’s kind of where we landed.”
Bon Jovi begins a world tour on February 9th in Uncasville, Conn., with dates booked into late July that include two South African dates in May, a headlining slot June 16th at England’s Isle of Wight Festival and a two-night home state run at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Read more at Billboard.