The Left Feels Right
Bon Jovi
(Mercury)

On paper this comes across as a truly lame idea. A greatest hits album of "alternate" versions of Bon Jovi's best tracks. It just smacks of a filler until the new album and a bit of a Christmas cash-in. Now that I have established that I went into this album with a cynical mind, the rest of this review makes sense. How wrong I was...while not everything here works as well as the original, there is enough good stuff to make it worth the price of entry. There is a limited edition version with includes six-track live performance DVD (done mostly acoustic for AOL). TLFR is truly a remarkable effort, that might not win any new fans, but will certainly please their current ones. It is far better than their appalling live album, that was released a few years ago. Fourteen tracks, (two live including 'Joey'), plus a DVD is not bad going. Be prepared to hear some very different takes on the band's best. I shan't tell you any more as to ruin the surprise. If you are a Jovi fan, this CD is a must. If you are a hard rock fan who hasn't bought anything of theirs for a while (well let's face it the last two were pants), give this collection a shot. Let's hope this is a sure sign of better things to come.

Rating: 4/5