Stranger In This Town - Richie Sambora
One of my favorite parts of embarking on my journey through Bon Jovi’s discography has been discovering Richie Sambora. Richie’s debut album Stranger In This Town was released in early September 1991. Prior to this release, peeks of Richie’s powerful vocal capabilities were heard in harmony with lead singer, Jon Bon Jovi, both on studio albums and live performances with Bon Jovi. Some of my favorite examples are “Wanted Dead Or Alive” from Bon Jovi’s third studio album, Slippery When Wet (1986) and both “I’ll Be There For You” and “Stick To Your Guns” from their fourth studio album, New Jersey (1988). A live performance that showcases the magic of their harmony is the acoustic versions of “Livin’ On A Prayer/Wanted Dead Or Alive” from the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. Richie’s voice contrasts beautifully with Jon’s; they are a vocal and songwriting match made in heaven. This made me so excited to get into Richie’s solo work.
From 1984 to 1988, Bon Jovi released four albums and toured nonstop; initially, to make a name for themselves and eventually to maintain their status. After the success of Slippery When Wet, the band supported their album with an extensive tour. Not too long after the October 1987 conclusion of the tour, Richie and Jon began writing for what would become their fourth studio album, New Jersey. They wanted to make it known that they were here to stay following the success of the album that made them a household name.
The tour to support New Jersey was just as, if not more, extensive than the Slippery When Wet tour. The “Jersey Syndicate Tour” ran from 1988 to 1990. In February 1990, a mentally and physically drained Bon Jovi played their last two shows in Guadalajara, Mexico.
As they parted ways, the future of the band was indeterminate; it would be two years until their next album. In the interim, the five members of Bon Jovi worked on their own artistic and leisurely endeavors. Richie Sambora took this opportunity to focus on producing his solo album, Stranger In This Town.
With my first listen of this album, I fell in love with Richie’s voice at an even greater level. The soulful and emotion-filled display of his vocals is just the kind of thing I subconsciously long to hear in the music I listen to. Stranger In This Town is a dream come true for Bon Jovi fans who love Richie’s voice.
As I mentioned, there are sonic glimpses of Richie’s genius in his background vocals, harmonies, adlibs, and especially through the prowess of his emotional and masterful guitar playing on Bon Jovi’s first four albums. Stranger In This Town, however, provides a more thorough display of Richie Sambora as a troubadour. His stylistic range gets a chance to really shine on this album; it serves as an opportunity to get a deeper understanding of Richie’s sound and where his musical roots and influences lie.
There are elements of blues, R&B, soul, gospel, and rock music woven into this album. It’s a very well-rounded body of work that showcases Richie’s ability to be stylistically and sonically diverse. It’s such a special experience for me to hear Richie in his element as a soloist.
I feel more connected to him hearing songs about various topics from the loneliness associated with his lifestyle as a musician with a hectic touring life to remaining hopeful through life’s many adversities. It’s highly evident that Richie writes from his heart; it comes across so beautifully. In his interview with Arsenio Hall in1992, he said: “I feel very conscious of what I say in my lyrics and what I say to people because it really does affect things…”
favorite tracks
rest in peace (track 1)
I kinda wanted to do something that had some shock value to it. At the time I was reading a lot of philosophy and a lot of poetry. I’m not one to really read a lot of big, thick fictional books…I’m more or less a musician who listens to music more than anything else.
It seems to me every time I go out on the road, I always have a problem with whatever girlfriend I have, respectively, at the time. I was reading a lot of Shakespeare. So, I was equating love with death…it was kinda like saying, when I leave, don’t worry, our love will rest in peace and everything will be okay. - Richie Sambora, “Rockline” on MTV (1991)
this is most perfect introduction to an album; it feels like a warm and welcoming invitation to the experience that is Stranger In This Town. Richie accompanies himself with his electric guitar so beautifully. the way he sustains notes is so mesmerizing. this track is a powerful display of his vocal range. when I heard this for the first time, I fell in love. I immediately knew that Mr. Sambora was not one to mess around with. listen below!
stranger in this town (track 3)
It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to play the blues on my own record and I wanted to write a couple of modern day blues songs. One, specifically made this record, “Stranger In This Town”. The way [this] song came about was…it’s a little autobiographical. I feel like I’m a stranger in most of the towns I show up in. Then also, I think I’m a stranger to all the listeners, because they think they know me in Bon Jovi; they’ve never known that I’m this kind of artist also.
The way I reached the blues…one time I was cruising around New York City and as you know, we have a homeless problem. It was still quite brisk outside when this happened. There were a lot of people who didn’t have places to live and that kind of guilted me. It upset me because I have food in the refrigerator and a roof over my head. So, that night I went home and I felt really guilty…I just played my guitar and sat there, and all of a sudden “Stranger” came about. - Richie Sambora on “Raw Power”, 1992
ballad of youth (track 4)
Richie’s energy is so palpable in this song. the power in his voice in conjunction with the message in the lyrics is so beautiful. this track is one of my favorites for both of those reasons.
p.s. the music video is beautifully done! watch below.
one light burning (track 5)
I was in a position in my life back then, I was about 19 and I quit college to join a rock ‘n roll band, and of course it didn’t work out. About 40 different things didn’t work out at that point. I found myself in this period of darkness, in my darkest hour.
This song is about faith…it’s about when you’re in your darkest hour and you’re looking for that one thing that pulls you out. Sometimes it’s your family, sometimes it's your girlfriend, sometimes it’s music, sometimes it's your faith in God and it pulls you out of things like that. — Richie Sambora on “The Arsenio Hall Show” (1991)
this song really sealed the deal for me. I was already really enjoying all the songs I was hearing as I listened to this album for the first time. when I got to this track, everything deepened. sonically, it has tribal, R&B/soul and gospel sound.
lyrically, this song moves me so deeply. messages of hope and faith in music always brings me a lot of solace and comfort. there is so much power in Richie’s vocal performance on this song and the accompanying choir during the climax of the song makes it that much better. this song was one of my absolutely favorites of 2023 and I still revisit it often. this is my absolute favorite track on this album. listen below!
mr. bluesman (track 6)
this track features some of my favorite vocal moments on this album. Richie’s voice holds so much power and this song really showcases that. listen below!
the answer (track 10)
there is something about this song that really pulls at my heartstrings. it’s stripped down; just Richie’s beautiful, warm voice and his guitar. this is really poignant and beautiful lyricism from Richie in collaboration with Bruce Foster. this is one of the best compositions on this album; it’s a perfect choice for the closing track. listen below!
There are so many reasons to love Stranger In This Town. There is such a wide range of emotions and topics explored on this album, which makes for a well-rounded body of work.
Messages of hope and encouragement and expressions of longing and melancholy both strongly coexist. This album makes for a really beautiful expression of the underlying facets of Richie Sambora; not the lead guitarist from Bon Jovi, but the soloist and the man.
I am grateful for this album and for the addition of Richie Sambora to my list of favorite artists. Thank you for reading! I hope you feel encouraged to give this beautiful album a listen.
love,
cheyenne
