U2 albums are never what you expect.
The Irish quartet, arguably one of the most innovative bands around, rarely treads on familiar musical waters, instead opting to sample new and risky sounds.
However, with the release of their latest CD, All That You Can't Leave Behind, they seem to have abandoned exploration in favor of good old-fashioned, rock 'n roll. The result? A phenomenal, sentimental album that will likely appease even the pickiest of listeners.
For one thing, All That is, well all that.
It's strong in all the right places, yet still maintains its soft side.
Fueled with powerful ballads and no nonsense rock, All That seems oddly nostalgic, the sort of straight up rock record you would have expected them to release directly following The Joshua Tree. In fact, the album only borrows lightly from the techno and synthetic influences that ran rampant on Achtung Baby (one of the most influential releases of the '90s), Zooropa and, more recently, 1997's Pop (which, according to critics, should have been retitled Flop).
However, this time around the FX and the gimmicks are gone (laid to rest with Bono's alter-egos, The Fly and MacPhisto). It's as though someone cleared out all the smoke and mirrors and revealed, rather sweetly, that these guys are still a viable force to be reckoned with.
Or, simply put, U2 is back and better than ever.
All That You Can't Leave Behind opens nicely, with the glowing track, "Beautiful Day." It's a bright, melodic song, just the kind of thing you'd expect from its title.
It kicks things off on the right foot, and the disc flows smoothly into the second track, "Stuck in a Moment and You Can't Get out of It."
The fierce and catchy rock song, "Elevation" instantly earns a place as one of U2's greatest songs ever (and that's a tough spot to earn, considering how many great tunes Bono and the boys have released during the past 20 years).
Throw in the the beatnik "New York" and the brilliant "In a Little While" (which has a blusey feel) and you've got a mixture of ecclectic, yet sublte songs.
Producers Daniel Lanois (most known for his work with U2 on The Joshua Tree) and Brian Eno (who has a long history with U2) are back on board for the new album, and their influence shows. For one things, the tracks on All That come across far more polished than those on U2's last outing, Pop (which contained some songs so rough that they sounded like outtakes.)
Once again, Edge adds his magical guitar playing (a staple in U2's varied career) and manages to be both rough and gentle all at once.
The lyrics, too, strike a balance between understated and profound.
"And love is not the easy thing/the only baggage you can bring is all that you can't leave behind," he whispers in the opening of "Walk On."
And in "Elevation," he sings, "High, higher than the sun/You shoot me from a gun/I need you to elevate me here."
And "here" is a pretty nice place to be.
Grade: A
