Hailing from New Jersey, Bon Jovi has become one of the most iconic Rock-n-Roll bands of all time. With a storied career full of top-selling albums, lasting popularity, and resilience, these Jersey boys have been making music since 1983 and have come a long way since. They attained modest success with their 1984 self-titled debut, which included the hit single “Runaway.”
Moving forward, their third album, 1986’s Slippery When Wet, would make them a global phenomenon. The decades that followed saw a fantastic tale of success, much of which was encapsulated in 2024’s documentary series Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. This must-watch series offers a fascinating look behind the scenes, revealing a lot about the band’s history, their path to success, and how they maintain their level of professionalism and brilliance.
With this in mind, the band also released an impressive brand new studio album in 2024 called Forever, announced their book Bon Jovi Forever (which arrived as a hardback bookstore edition on September 23, 2025), had the Bon Jovi Forever exhibit which opened at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in June 2024, put out a limited-edition ruby color vinyl LP reissue (released on March 24, 2024) and limited-edition cassette (released April 5, 2024) of the debut Bon Jovi album, in just this past February 2025 re-releasing Slippery When Wet in various configurations, including an exclusive liquid-filled vinyl disc limited to 1,300 copies worldwide.
Extremely busy, let us now forget the wonderful project Jon Bon Jovi created with his wife (Dorothea Hurley), The JBJ Soul Foundation, and especially the JBJ Soul Kitchen, which is a non-profit community restaurant. Explaining this, to pay for your food at those restaurants, you can settle the tab like at every normal restaurant – although there are no prices on the menu – which allows you to ‘Pay It Forward,’ meaning you can pay more than the actual meal costs, so your donation can cover the cost for a person’s meal who cannot afford to pay, and you can also volunteer. For that, you need to get in touch with one of the four restaurants across New Jersey by filling out the volunteer form. This is a fascinating and wholesome project you should definitely check out when you are in the area. Giving this the attention it deserves, we are now in late 2025 and have more music from Bon Jovi in the form of a new edition of Forever, called Forever (Legendary Edition). Set for release on October 24th through Island Records, it is more than just a deluxe release of Forever; it is a unique format featuring a list of special guests who give each song a brand new touch.
Featuring a long list of new collaborations, you also get the band’s (including the solid lineup of Keyboardist David Bryan, Drummer Tico Torres, Bassist Hugh McDonald, Guitarists Phil X and John Shanks, plus Multi-instrumentalist Everett Bradley) brand new single, “Red, White, Jersey,” which is a catchy and thriving song you will fall in love with instantly. Looking deeper into everything, if you have already watched Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, you might have noticed that Jon Bon Jovi had some difficulties with his vocal cords and needed surgery. The surgery went well, but rehab and, therefore, recovery take time. Now, we all know how hard it is to sit still and cease from doing what you love to give it time to heal. Well, Jon Bon Jovi is a human person just like you and me, passionate about singing. So refraining from that – or rather taking it slow – in order to fully recover is just as hard for him as it would be for any of us.
So, why not invite friends and colleagues to sing with him? And that is how this new edition of Forever came into existence. Knowing all of this, there is a new need to tell you about the songs on the album, because you probably know – and love – them all already. All the trades are the same, except the addition of “Red, White and Jersey” at the opening and partially Spanish-sung take of “We Made It Look Easy” (“Hicimos Que Pereciera Fácil”), alongside Carin León at the tailend. Just one of the guests who teams with Bon Jovi; there are more —twelve more. On this album, you can hear James Bay, Robbie Williams, Ryan Tedder, Avril Lavigne, Bruce Springsteen, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Joe Elliot, Marcus King, and more. Each brings something different to the songs, and it is absolutely worth listening to with attentive ears.
Altogether, Bon Jovi’s Forever (Legendary Edition) lives up to its name, because it is indeed legendary. These brilliant artists singing alongside Jon Bon Jovi make this album special. Not a replacement for 2024’s Forever, but a companion, the new edition will fill my heart with love. That is why Cryptic Rock Bon Jovi’s Forever (Legendary Edition) 5 out of 5 stars.
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