Lost Highway (Island Records/Mercury Nashville, 2007)

Sure Jon Bon Jovi once sang about gun slinging and tried on the weathered coat of a cowboy back when he was being "shot down in a blaze of glory," but this glam-rock band and perennial hog of the radio waves certainly can't be considered a country act. One wonders what they were trying to pull of with their new record, which features the likes of Big & Rich on the down and dirty bubblegum pop song "We Got it Goin' On" and the token ballad with LeAnn Rimes' "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore"? Was it an effort to cross over slightly and gain some new fans in the country camp? Was it a way to showcase their versatility?

Whatever the motives, this doesn't deliver. Sure, there are some catchy songs, and if you're a Bon Jovi fan, you'll still find what made you love "Slippery When Wet" on these tried and true tunes, but other than that, it's formulaic, predictable rock, featuring clichéd lyrics and songs about things that have been sung so many times and ways before such as summer ("Summertime") and living' on the road (the radio-friendly opener title track).