The latest non-country act to reignite their career by shifting their focus to Nashville audiences, Bon Jovi's genre jump isn't the most shocking, or dumbest, of career moves. They've always tapped into that good ole' Americana brand of pop/ rock and made riding on steel horses sound dangerously cool way back when. Unfortunately, the past decade and change saw them recording what sounded like the same song over and over, delivering cheeky anthems that sounded more and more homogenized each go round. Though the basis of their sound hasn't changed, bringing in a subtle glistening of banjos and fiddles helps add a fresh perspective that makes them somewhat interesting again.

In hopes to recreate the same success stirred up with the Jennifer Nettles duet "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (the first #1 country single ever awarded to a primarily rock act), Jon, Richie & the boys get help from another Southern blonde (impressive child wonder turned modestly interesting adult act LeAnn Rimes) on the Lost Highway track "Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore", a couples' intervention ballad highlighted by the smart hooks and soapy lyricism classic C&W is known for.

Jon and LeAnn play a duo angling to inject some of that old camaraderie back into their relationship ("It might be hard to be lovers/ But it's harder to be friends"). This time instead of just jumping into bed, having boring missionary sex and then dispersing to their own corners of the bed for a dozing off, they're going to sit up and act like they're intrigued by eachother's day again without ending in some dispute about why she never washes the dishes or why he won't shave off that nasty stubble on his face.

Jon and LeAnn's voices fit eachother well, blending into one massive MOR vocal, not retaining much personality but getting the point across. In an effort to remind listeners that these boys do have a rock background, Sambora gives up one of his grand guitar solos, searching for some sort of edge to offset the basic-ness of everything else.

"'Til We Ain't Stranger Anymore" dabbles enough in the pop/ rock and country fields to earn some sense of respect from both worlds. Is it all that original? No, but we gave up on Bon Jovi doing anything original long ago.

Download: "Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore"