All That You Can't Leave Behind

10/31/2000 1:47 PM, Yahoo! Music
Ken Micallef

After the debacle that was Pop, even most die-hard U2 believers knew that the next one would either mark them as washed-up has-beens devoured by over-ambitiousness at the end of a greedy century; or--if they were lucky--extend the band's winning streak into the next millennium. Have Bono, the Edge, Larry, and Adam reinvented themselves or is this the final smoke of a great Irish flame?

Well, when all else fails in life you usually go back to what feels good; what moves and comforts you in that black hole of need. All That You Can't Leave Behind occasionally refers to the grand experiments of Achtung Baby and earlier works like The Joshua Tree, but mostly it's a Dr. Feelgood session revisiting classic pop and R&B styles. No revelations or proclamations, this is rocking soul-sweet pop from four millionaires who lack fire in the belly but still know how to write a hit.

The current TV commercial anthem, "Beautiful Day," is the album's hardest-rocking moment, and the first hint that U2's best bet is still on the Edge's enthralling guitar carnival. With the Edge back in form, the music flows. "Elevation" is all candy-ass lyrics ("I and I in the sky") and plastik-y guitars, with a glowing synth-pop bridge. The spectral guitar of "Walk On" recalls "With Or Without You," while a grizzled Bono hoarsely wails the inspirational chorus. Backwards organ and sky-streaking guitar envelop "Kite" with a woozy wall of sound, but it's basically a look-at-me Bono-centric power ballad.

Conversely, "In A Little While" is Bono firing on all soul-fours, an Al Green-styled thumper with slippery blues guitar and hip hop drums. "Wild Honey" turns into country terrain, a pleasant acoustic rambler that matches a hippy Donovan with a stoned John Lennon smoking somewhere in Marrakech. "Peace On Earth" sounds like a throwaway, but is disarmingly seductive after a few plays. The surreal "When I Look At The World" could be from Achtung Baby; "New York" translates city heat into steaming rock raunch. "Grace" closes the set with more Edge comfort sounds, a lullaby of blue tones and hopeful lyrics.

Like a lone Zippo flame in a deserted stadium, U2 keep holding back the years, creating masterful pure pop for those with ears to hear and hearts wide open.