Forget Bill Maher's insightful but ill-timed comments about the cowardice behind U.S. military strikes.

Never mind Steve Earle and his empathetic song about John Walker Lindh.

Undivided, the first track on Bon Jovi's new CD Bounce, is infinitely more insulting to the memory of the victims of 9/11 than anything either one of those two performers could have ever imagined.

Meant as a tribute to the human spirit which arose out the events, the song is instead a hollow, laughable, and purely opportunistic attempt at turning tragedy into an arena rock anthem that Middle America -- armed only with a Bic lighter and a jean jacket -- can feel empowered by.

Perhaps the hardest thing to figure out about Undivided is: Was anybody really waiting for this song? Was there anyone out there actually saying to his-or-herself: "Sure those Springsteen songs are OK, but I really wonder what a wuss metal hairfarmer from the '80s has to say about the terrorist attacks?"

Of course, once you get past that track, Jon and the boys can get back to the things that really matter in the world of Bon Jovi: Regular guys, regular guys feeling lonely, regular guys in trouble with the law, regular guys dealing with their ol' ladies, and everything else that regular guys regularly feel and/or encounter.

Musically, Bon Jovi has updated its sound only slightly -- wussed up maybe a little more by weak string arrangements and sappy synthesizer flavours -- relying still on the sickly sweet power ballads of old.

Maybe there are enough people out there married to nostalgia to make this album fly, but for everyone else wise enough to have moved on years ago, it lands with a soft dull thud seconds after takeoff. (More on Bon Jovi)

Track Listing
1. Undivided
2. Everyday
3. The Distance
4. Joey
5. Misunderstood
6. All About Lovin' You
7. Hook Me Up
8. Right Side of Wrong
9. Love Me Back To Life
10. You Had Me From Hello
11. Bounce
12. Open All Night