Cracking return to form (All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2)

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2
Date:	13/09/09 (1 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great singles

Disadvantages: None

U2's first album released in this decade is a doozy - All That You Can't Leave Behind is an antidote to the claims from critics that they've lost the zest that made them so popular in the 1980s in particular. This is a great album with a wealth of catchy songs and shows us a rejuvenated band that are back on top. It's a far more robust production than their previous albums, and has obviously benefitted from the fruits of their success - this is an immaculate album that's far away from their sketchier (production-wise) earlier albums such as Achtung Baby, brilliant though it is.

The album opens with Beautiful Day, which became a huge hit when it was released, a jubilant track that's really unrelentingly upbeat. It also has a great music with U2 playing at an airport as planes fly overhead.

Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of might is another great tune that's not as fast paced or as exciting, but more a meditative and serene song that's thoughtful and easy to listen to.

Probably my favourite song, though, is Walk On, a stunning tune that won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It's about not waiting around for things that are dragging you down and just moving on, and anything worth keeping will come with you anyway. It has aching vocals and is beautifully melodic. I love it.

Elevation is probably the poppiest track on the album, and the most accessible - it's fast-paced and the heaviest song on the album. It was used on the soundtrack of the naff film Tomb Raider, but is a great song and one that, unusually for U2, really gets the pulse racing.

All in all, this is a very well crafted album that has a stellar mix of fast and slow songs, meaning there's something for everyone.

Summary: A mix of everything - this is great