Bon Jovi Writing New Songs For Hits Set

November 14, 2008 , 11:20 AM ET
John Benson, Cleveland

With the final leg of Bon Jovi's "Lost Highway" tour completed, guitarist Richie Sambora tells Billboard.com the New Jersey rock act is looking ahead to plenty of new projects.

"We've been filming a documentary and are in the process of mixing a live DVD of last year's 'Lost Highway' concert tour," Sambora says. "Also, I think we're looking at doing a greatest hits album next year. Jon and I are writing some new songs for it and to just load up for the next Bon Jovi record."

Sambora says he expects the DVD and best-of effort to be packaged together for a fall 2009 street date. The Nashville-tinged "Lost Highway" was a critical and commercial success, but Sambora says the band won't necessarily return to that style again.

"No, we have to change," he says. "We have to do something different. I don't know what that's going to be. As we get into the writing process and continue on, we'll see what that's going to look like. I think it comes to stylistically what songs you're writing. What kind of music is coming out of you, and what's the mood of those songs. You have to color those little drawings with the right production value and the right music."

Outside of Bon Jovi, Sambora is staying active with various extracurricular opportunities. Not only did he recently join B.B. King on stage in Chicago for the taping of a PBS special, but he will take part in a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Tribute Concert for Les Paul Saturday (Nov. 15) at the State Theatre in Cleveland

~ Hath