U2 - ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND

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Website: U2's official site

The latest offering by U2 has already received some un-warranted criticism. I guess I'm one of the few people to understand what U2 is doing now. It actually started 3 years ago when they released the very underrated "POP". The main complaint that I heard from others was that it wasn't anything like "Joshua Tree" or "Achtung Baby". The fact of the matter is that U2 put out a very good "techno" album that many people didn't seem to show interest in. It's really their loss, and if many music fans do this again with "All That You Can't Leave Behind" they are missing out on a pretty good album.

U2 probably feels like they don't need to pave the way for the future of rock and roll any longer. This latest release catches the band coming "back to earth" in a sense in just releasing a straight and simply recorded cd. Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno are back producing the band. I think it's great hearing Eno's synth touches on songs like "Elevation" and "When I look at the World". The latter song could easily fit in on 1984's "Unforgettable Fire". "Wild Honey" shows off a funky acoustic guitar riff from the Edge. The song isn't too different than something the Rolling Stones would put out (this could be Bono's own version of "Brown Sugar"!). "Stuck in a Moment that You Can't Get Out of" took me a few listens to actually get use to. Though it's not my favorite song on the cd, I think the lyrics are great: "There's nothing that you can throw at me that I haven't already heard. I'm just trying to find a decent melody." Seems like Bono isn't worrying too much about being a rock "pioneer" any longer! "New York" showcases some great driving drums and signiture guitar work. The most powerful song here has to be "Walk On". It's a song about confidence and looking forward, not backwards. The Edge shows off some very good guitar work here. The song ends with U2 mimicking Pink Floyd's "Eclipse" which finishes off "Dark Side of the Moon". "All that you fashion... all that you make... all that you build... all that you break". Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery! U2 always finds a way to embrace other band's styles without sounding arrogant or predictable.

I hope that U2 finds time to tour behind this great album. I'm sure some of these songs would sound even better performed live. If any of you had any reservations on buying "All That You Can't Leave Behind", I would urge you to give this a try. Try to find a used copy of "POP" while you are at it!