U2
(Interscope)
U2 frontman Bono may not be able to count in Spanish-his opening lines of \Vertigo"" translate as ""ones, two, three, fourteen""-but he and the rest of the band can count their newest album,
continues the feel of U2's previous album, The songs range from the energetic, danceable ""Vertigo"" to slower songs like ""Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own,"" one of the album's strongest and most memorable pieces.
Bono's vocals are smooth and the lyrics intriguing throughout The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. provide excellent instrumentals, introducing songs with catchy, captivating music and making the album listenable and engrossing from start to finish.
For a band that has had many outstanding moments in a lengthy career, U2 shows no signs of slowing down in terms of celebrity or music. The album's release comes with heightened publicity thanks to the band's iPod endorsement commercials. The album itself received a high endorsement from Bono, who said on the band's Web site, ""It's such a personal record, it may just be our best.""
Several tracks reignite U2's personal touch with political activism. The band has long campaigned to address issues of hunger, disease and debt in developing nations. Lyrics from the songs ""Love and Peace or Else"" and ""Crumbs From Your Table"" speak to those issues. In the latter song, Bono sings, ""Where you live should not decide / Whether you live or whether you die / Three to a bed / Sister Ann, she said / Dignity passes by.""
Spirituality has been a constant presence in U2 music since its beginning and is no exception, with overt religious focus in ""Yahweh."" Other songs contain more subtle spiritual references and indications of a band that still hasn't found what they're looking for.
Atomic Bomb is an album that should solidify U2 as one of the greatest rock bands and provide powerful material for the band's planned mega-tour next year. Expect to hear a lot of U2 on the airwaves and see a lot more of those iconic, tinted shades.
