U2

All That You Can't Leave Behind

Blandness

Review Score:

(6/10)
This is one of the most overrated U2 albums ever. It did not deserve to win so many grammys and I'm glad it did not win the grammy for best album of the year. However, it is not one of the worst; it is good compared to the rest of the junk on the pop charts. ATYCLB is a safe U2 album, so safe that it's nearly sunk down to the level of adult contemporary and adult alternative hits, pleasant and uninteresting filler.

Bono's voice is horrific, a pain to the ear, especially on such tracks as In A Little While and Elevation. His lyrics are uninspiring, mostly reduced to simple maxims, such as "Believe in yourself!" and "Everything will be all right," which is apparent on Stuck In A Moment and Walk On. Bono realizes that life isn't that easy on better, previous U2 songs that urge people to find their own solutions and leave the door open for interpretation. Of course, complexity doesn't sell nowadays in pop music and that's why U2 has to feed mainstream listeners the answers to common problems. Also, the poor guitarist's talent is hardly visible. Wild Honey doesn't allow for him to do anything earth-shattering. Grace is possibly one of the dullest U2 tunes in all of the band's history.

Fortunately, Kite, though relatively mellow, is the exception to the rule, one of the only songs on ATYCLB that matches the previous high quality work of U2. A song about immortality and life, it is emotional and a soaring anthem. If the next U2 album takes its cues from this song, I will be one happy U2 fan.

More Reviews: