I won't give too much background to Bon Jovi as I imagine most people are quite familiar with their work, however for those of you who are not I can tell you that Bon Jovi are an American rock band that formed in 1983 and are still going strong with their last album released in 2007. Their lead singer is Jon Bon Jovi, singer, musician, actor and all round crush of many girls and women.

Bounce was released in 2002 and is the only album of theirs that I own. I have played it many times over the years and although it is not flawless, it has some fantastic songs on it. The problem with this 12 track album though is that whilst 6 of the songs are absolutely excellent, 6 of them are not all that good.

Bon Jovi's sound is middle of the road American rock, slightly harder than other bands such as Three Doors Down and Greenday but certainly not the heaviest rock you are likely to hear in your life. It is all about drums, guitar riffs and Jon's sexy voice which has the ability to be rough and shouty in some songs but also beautifully tender in others.

The highlights of this album are:

Joey Keys: a lovely, strong ballad about a childhood relationship with a boy who was a little slow. Images are beautifully depicted here and it is a very sweet song which has an honest ring to it and shows childlike hope for the future.

Misunderstood: the first song that I heard from this album, this was a successful single and has a very catchy beginning and chorus. It is about a relationship breakup and the regret that comes after it.

Right Side of Wrong: another song that tells a story, this is a rocky ballad which relates the tale of a botched bank robbery. Jon's voice is amazing on this and the tune always gets stuck in my head.

You Had Me At Hello: it doesn't get more romantic than this. This is the softest, slowest song on the album and is a tribute to a beautiful girl.

Bounce: another single, this is addictive, heavy rock which has a fantastic beat and always makes me get up and dance. Rock fans will probably find this to be the highest point of the album.

Open All Night: another gorgeous ballad with heartbreaking lyrics that I can really relate to. None of these ballads are as strong as Bon Jovi's previous 'Always', but they are still beautiful.

Unfortunately despite these six excellent songs, the rest of the album is standard generic rock and most of the songs are forgettable and not the most tuneful. However I can forgive the formulaic nature of the rest, because the above songs are stunning and enduring. I would recommend this album if you like rock with heart.