You Can't Afford To Leave U2's Latest Behind
Band Strikes Back With Its Most Accessible Work Since 'Achtung Baby'
Maybe Bono has finally found what he's looking for.
Even the most die-hard U2 fans feared that the band had lost its way after a couple of wildly divergent techno/dance/pop releases in the mid-'90s. But one spin through U2's first full-length CD in three-and-a-half years and you can't help but notice a completely different tone, a different feel and a different message from the soul-searching Irish rock legends.
"Beautiful Day" fades and blends with the rest of the tracks, sinking its hooks deep into your soul -- really deep. I soon realized that U2 has just released its most accessible and meaningful work in nearly a decade.
When U2 was making a name for itself in the early '80s, the band was cranking out thoughtful songs with crunchy guitars, driving rhythms and political messages that rallied youth to any number of causes. When they became the No. 1 rock band in the world in the late '80s, their songs took on a more personal, spiritual tone and they bonded with the roots of American music -- folk, country, blues and soul all earning more than a guest appearance on "The Joshua Tree" and "Rattle And Hum."
The band added a techno feel to its repertoire with 1991's exquisite "Achtung Baby," and the formula seemed in place for a new musical genre -- intelligent, soulful, electronic rock.
But U2 also endured a great deal of criticism that they took themselves too seriously. They responded with a brooding "Zooropa" and the hyper-ironic "Pop," and the overblown, self-conscious Zoo TV and PopMart tours that seemed more focused on social commentary than music. Fans of "classic" U2 were disappointed that the band had delved further into the seemingly soulless world of techno/dance music.
That tantalizing taste of greatness has been fully realized in "All That You Can't Leave Behind." Maybe it took that self-indulgent detour down Irony Lane for U2 to work through its need to make social statements instead of meaningful rock music, but the band has returned with a rich collection of multi-textured songs that remind you why music is great -- and why U2 was and is the No. 1 rock band in the world.
The underlying theme that stretches through "All That" is the resiliency of the human spirit. As a lyricist, Bono touched on that message in the oasis-in-the-desert imagery of "The Joshua Tree," but back in 1987 he was also undeniably searching for answers -- the sense of despair and longing is palpable in "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Where The Streets Have No Name."
Having turned 40 in May, Bono returns to that self-examination in "All That," but this time he finds more answers than questions. Bono sounds self-assured and buoyant as he closes "Beautiful Day" with "What you don't have you don't need it now/What you don't know you can feel it somehow."
Instead of a wandering soul, he sounds like somebody who's found his way in the gospel-inflected "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" when he sings, "And if the night runs over/And if the day won't last/And if your way should falter/Along the stony pass/It's just a moment/This time will pass."
And he punctuates the powerful "Kite" with another inspirational chorus that's sure to get the Bic lighters aloft on the next tour:
"I want you to know That you don't need me anymore I want you to know You don't need anyone, anything at all Who's to say where the wind will take you? Who's to say what it is will break you? I don't know which way the wind will blow."
From there, "All That" wanders down a few different roads, all of them satisfying. Bono channels Otis Redding on the blue-eyed soul of "In A Little While," while the jangling pop of "Wild Honey" goes down smooth as a pint at the local.
"Peace On Earth" is the requisite Amnesty International-inspired track, perhaps a frustrated response to John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance."
"When I Look At The World" shows that he doesn't have this whole life thing figured out quite yet, but not for a lack of trying.
Musically, U2 has never been stronger. The band has retained some of the splashy tricks from its electronica dabbling but backs it with a solid foundation. Bono's soaring vocals are in rare form on the anthem "Walk On." The Edge helps carry that song with his classic riffs that are reminiscent of his work on "The Joshua Tree," but he also buzzes the tower on the grungy "Elevation" and shows his retro-soul chops on "In A Little While."
Bassist Adam Clayton powers "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation" with a thumping funk but shows a deft touch on the poignant "Kite" and the hypnotic final cut, "Grace." Larry Mullen Jr. delivers inventive drum fills and his usual stalwart beats, highlighted by his work on "Walk On" and "When I Look At The World."
Longtime U2 collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois returned to produce "All That" after a seven-year break from the band. Eno's synthesizer work is an important component in the sound on "All That" and Lanois has helped layer the tracks with many hidden textures that will reward you on repeated listens.
U2 fans had long been anticipating the release of "All That," but if they were wondering what the band was doing in the hiatus, the answer is found in a CD that was worth the wait. Bono sums up his new-found philosophy in "Kite" when he muses, "Did I waste it?/Not so much I couldn't taste it/Life should be fragrant/Roof top to the basement."
If that's what he was looking for, we can all be glad that he's found it.
