Album Review: No Line on the Horizon

I don't usually do CD reviews. In fact, I can't even think of the last one I have done. However, in my opinion, a new U2 album is an event that would rightly warrant doing one. So here is my review of their new album No Line on the Horizon.

First things first, I have to say that if you go into this album expecting the next Joshua Tree or the next All That You Can't Leave Behind, you are going to be disappointed. My advise would be to listen to it without any preconceived notions about what you think it should sound like.

That being said, I think it is a very good album. Very good. However, I am not saying that if I put it up against all of their albums it would end up in my Top 3. But it is good.

It was not as immediate as some of their other albums were to me. That is, upon the first listen to it, I was not terribly impressed. However, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I was expecting something I should not have been expecting. By the time I listened to it the 2nd time, all of those preconceived notions were gone and I was able to enjoy it for what it was. A new U2 album and not another ATYCLB.

I remember that How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was the same way. When I first listened to it. I did not like it one bit and was severely disappointed. However, I also remember that I first listened to it during an intense U2 listening phase and right after having listened to ATYCLB several times. Now, I really do like that album a lot.

The next question is would I recommend this album to someone else. That is not as easy a question to answer. Let me put it this way though. If I were talking to a person that had never heard any of their stuff (is there anybody out there that hasn't?) but wanted to start, I would recommend they begin their U2 adventure somewhere else and come back to this one at a later time. If I were talking to someone that was a fan, I would definitely recommend it to them with the aforementioned disclaimer: Do not expect something that this album is not!

For me, the highlights on this album are the songs "Magnificent" "Moment of Surrender" "Breathe" and "Cedars of Lebanon."