U2

All That You Can't Leave Behind

An uplifter.

Review Score:

(10/10)
Bono's voice is cracking...but his and the band's songwriting skills are still intact. This album has been widely seen as a return to form by U2, after taking their musical experimentation to almost the brink on Pop. But the truth is, though this is a step in the other direction, it is still a different U2 than we saw years and years ago on The Joshua Tree. This album (in my opinion, successfully) merges the more structured song-styles of the 80's without leaving out the glammer that dominated the 90's albums. This is not The Joshua Tree, this is ATYCLB.

Songs like "Beautiful Day," "Stuck...," and "Walk On" bring us a more positive U2 than we've seen on earlier albums. The message basically being that no matter how bad things are, it's important to still find some enjoyment out of life. But as the record goes on, the album starts turning into sort of a resolve, a way of saying...yes, life's a blessing, but that doesn't change the pain that I'm feeling. "Peace on Earth" and "New York" bring us a more familiar U2 of pascifism and lost love, while the slow-mover "Grace" closes out the album in "Mothers of the Dissappeared" style.

Now, finally, to the emotional payoff. This is one of the most uplifting albums in my CD collection. The reason I was inspired to write this review is because I have a really good friend that is moving away soon, and the pain was almost too much to bear. But when I popped in this album...it made me feel better almost immediately. To quote Kite, "I know that this is not goodbye..."

I believe yah.

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