I have been waiting for this CD for, well, a couple of years now. After redeeming themselves with All That You Can't Leave Behind, I think that I am finally able to forgive Bono and crew for the indiscretions of the late 90s with Zooropa and Pop. Thank God that we're getting back to what my Irish boys do best - edgy, guitar-laden love songs.
After previewing a copy over the weekend, the CD release party last night, and a few of my usual drives, I've had a chance to listen to and think about it all. Here is my unsolicited, completely subjective, and inherently biased review.
Overall:
The CD's first track and single, Vertigo, is a bit misleading as to the contents of the rest of the disc. I find the foursome's latest work to be a pretty decent mix of Edge-branded guitar riffs (and God Bless Him for that...), the vocals that I have come to love and expect from my imaginary lover Bono, and even on the slow songs, outstanding bass and drums that sorta make you just want to listen to it all day long because, whether or not you like it, the songs are addictive, stuck in your brain, and once again, Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. have found the magic recipe to reinventing themselves while keeping enough identity from War to now to say, hey, that's U2, but's its just edgy enough that I really should buy it and listen to it until I wear it out.
Ranked against other CDs out there on the current adult/alternative music scene, I'm giving this a 4 1/2 of 5 stars. Certainly one of the best I've added to my collection as of late, although my one complaint is that it's a little heavy on the slow song side.
Ranked against other major U2 album releases:
- Joshua Tree
- Rattle & Hum
- All That You Can't Leave Behind
- Achtung Baby
- How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
- Boy
- October
- Unforgettable Fire
- War
- Zooropa
- POP
(putting this perspective, I give Joshua Tree a 5 1/2 of 5 stars, it's such a masterpiece that it can't even really be ranked, and Pop a 3 1/2 of 5... so there are no losers on this list.)
Track Review--
1:Vertigo--We have all hear this one on the radio for, oh a good two months now. It's poppy, catchy, and makes me want to buy an iPod worse than anything. But it's hands-down the most upbeat song on the release. It's a good display of each of these gent's talents. A good first single. I can't wait until they stop playing it on the radio so much so that I can get back to enjoying it in my own special way. 5 of 5
2:Miracle Drug--Reminiscent of something you'd have caught on the B-side of Joshua Tree... drool. Although this may not be a popular favorite, I find nothing better than a good Bono slow song (a la All I Want Is You.) Sigh. Good times. 4 of 5
3:Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own--Another slow. This track, reflective and personal, drills to the soul of any relationship that's been around for a while. It's singalong in the car good. Insert your own rock-starness here. 4.5 of 5
4:Love And Peace Or Else--2 Words: GOD YES. Why this song makes me want to start a revolution, we'll never know. But it gets to the hippie born 2 decades to late that lives inside of me. the bass guitar is amazing. The righteous anger in this song comes through loud and clear. A throwback to the early years -- you could just as easily have found this track on Boy. Which is why it is my 2nd fave on the disc. 5 of 5
5:City Of Blinding Lights --The song starts of with a "where the streets have no name" riff (thank you Edge, for making my life a happier place to be), and the song doesn't stop from there. I love when U2 mixes their stuff up. The piano in this song literally stopped me where I stood. If Bono sang this song to me, I'd probably melt into a puddle. Good stuff. 5 of 5
6:All Because of You--I dedicate this song to John Haggerty. Though it's not a musical masterpiece, it's good. And the lyrics are amazingly powerful to anyone who found love in a desolate small-town hole and lived to tell about it. How does this band know how to write songs that reflect my life experiences? I'm half a world away. Apparently, that's part of their appeal. 4 of 5
7:A Man And A Woman--This song lacks the guitar brilliance of the rest of the CD. Then, there's those ridiculous falsettos that sometimes work, and sometimes, not so much. Not a favorite, but not the worst song the group's ever recorded. 3 of 5
8:Crumbs From Your Table--It's so interesting that each of these tracks remind me of a past CD. The first time I heard this song, I really thought that I had originally heard it on Achtung Baby. However, it's new, but a terrific throwback to that great album that I first wore out on tape, and then on CD. 4.5 of 5
9:One Step Closer--Slow and driving, this song embraces all that has been good about the last 25 years of U2. It also incorporates some of the better lessons that the foursome has learned over two decades. Not sure why this isn't the signature song on the disc, but hands down, it's the best. Music and lyrics can't be beat. 5 of 5
10:Original Of The Species--Well, after track 9, nothing is really going to sound as amazing. Some decent guitar, some traditional Bono vocals. I imagine I'll eventually be hearing this on Cities 97. 3.5 of 5
11:YAHWEH--This is an exceptional vocal song for Bono. Obviously, he wrote the lyrics, which are amazing. He's such a poet. And he can sing, which he again demonstrates on this song. Edge gets in on the action with a piece of the lyrics and the 6-string stylings he does oh, so well. Meaningful, beautiful. A good exclamation point on a solid release. 4 of 5
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