Richie Sambora is mostly known as Bon Jovi guitarist and ex-husband of Heather Locklear and Denise Richards. Very unfortunate because he’s a brilliant blues guitarist and composer. Stranger in this Town (1991) and Undiscovered Soul (1998) were great blues records and I was very much waiting for a new record, especially since Bon Jovi are taking it slower these days.
Aftermath of the Lowdown features 12 very diverse songs ranging from classic full-band pieces to just his voice and acoustic guitar. In Bon Jovi he sings a strong second voice but aside from being a very important songwriter of the band (and he’s in the Songwriter Hall of Fame), he really does have a strong voice and is able to carry lots of emotion, a feature many singers curiously lack. Lyrically the album seems like a retrospective on his recent struggles with substance abuse and relationships.
If you like your Mellencamp a bit stronger, thought the last Bon Jovi albums lacked a certain originality or just want to listen to a classic American A&R album give this a spin.
3 Comments
Kerstin
God, this is really freaking me out. Being a fan of both Mr Big (incl. its solo artists, esp. the ones with the strings) and Richie Sambora (okay, Bon Jovi, too) since the early 90s AND totally in love with the English language, I’ve never come across anyone who even got close to being similarly inclined. Let alone in Germany. Gotta digest that. Could take a while though. Think I’ll listen to some guitar stuff on my way home in order to calm my agitated soul. Good thing “What if…” is standard equipment in my car. Feel the undertow, man…
Kerstin
Oh, forgot to mention – I am a singer, too. Any more parallels?
Sebastian Keil
Well, I assume there are many more Germans who are into this type of music, though not everybody blabbers about it on the internet like I do. :-/
Which reminds me to start writing again, quite a few concerts and records that I haven’t added my own 2 cts yet. Glad you digg the writing.