U2 “Songs of Surrender” Album Review

Songs Of Surrender

U2

• Genre: Rock
• Date: 17 Mar, 2023
• Content: Not-explicit
• Region: NGA
• Track(s): 40
• An Island Records release; ℗ 2023 Universal Music Operations Limited

Irish music group U2 was founded in Dublin in 1976. The band consists of Bono with the vocals, Larry Mullen Jr. on bass guitar(drums and percussion), Adam Clayton on bass guitar, the Edge on lead guitar, keyboards, and backup vocals (drums and percussion). U2’s music, which initially had its roots in post-punk, has changed throughout its carer while retaining an anthemic aspect supported by Bono’s expressive vocals and the Edge’s chiming, effects-based guitar sounds. Focusing on social and political issues, Bono’s lyrics frequently include mystical imagery. The group, well-known for their live performances, has put on several ambitious and expensive tours. The band was founded when its members were Mount Temple Comprehensive School teenagers with little musical training.

More than any other band, they have won 22 Grammy Awards, and in 2005, during their first year of eligibility, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time,” U2 came in at number 22.

Album Art

The Album features grim-faced old portrait photos of the quartet as they re-entered the current music market with their reworked songs. The black and white images may hint at the group’s acknowledgment of how far they have come and how old-school-but-green they have remained.

Tracks And Features

The Album features 40 songs from the band’s discography that have been re-recorded and reimagined, many in stripped-down and acoustic settings. The Edge and lead singer Bono were primarily responsible for this project. The music collection is meant to be a companion to Bono’s biography, Surrender 40 Songs, One Story (2022), which was divided into 40 chapters with titles of U2 songs. The songs were first included in the memoir’s audiobook edition, and Bono sang them when the book was on tour to promote it.

A “reimagining” of 40 songs from the Irish quartet’s extensive catalog, “Songs of Surrender” is smartly organized from “One” to “40.” Consider it a fascinating home renovation. You get that impression when listening to U2’s most recent Album.

In the new song “Where the Streets Have No Name,” Bono says, “I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside”—lyrics that are ideal for this audio experiment. But, unfortunately, the song’s current rendition is hardly recognizable from the one the band made famous in 1987.
That is the purpose of the activity that The Edge and Bono are leading. Each song began to open up to a new authentic voice of this moment once we let go of our reverence for the original version, The Edge writes in the song’s lyrics.

There are successes and missteps, but it is becoming increasingly clear that these songs’ structures are solid, even with some new lyrics. For example, while the acoustic guitar-driven “Sunday Bloody Sunday” sounds more like something from a coffeehouse open-mic night than a strident, arena-ready demand, the new “Vertigo” features Middle Eastern instruments. Nonetheless, they are both still stunning.

Some might even represent advancements. “11 O’Clock Tick Tock,” one of the band’s first hits, is slower, cleaner, and smoother than the original. And would you believe that the version of “Songs of Innocence” might not be the best version of “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)”?

Like “Cedarwood Road,” “Peace on Earth,” “Bad,” and “I Will Follow,” many reworkings are relatively simple. Most of them have a minimalistic vibe, which leaves little room for Bono’s voice to rest amid melancholy synths or jerky acoustic guitar. “Every Broken Wave” has a cinematic quality and sounds like it belongs during the closing credits of a heartbreaking drama.

The song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” creates a cowboy feel and a surprising honky-tonk energy. The effect of Bono’s high falsetto on “Desire” against a strummy dulcimer is mesmerizing. Nicely, Mumford & Sons have updated “Get Out of Your Way,” The new song “Stuck in a Moment” is a folk-inspired prayer with a solid foundation. The choir sound in the new “One” is distracting, but the song is so gorgeous that it wouldn’t lose any brilliance if it were turned into a punk song.

It’s like running into an ex who is hardly recognizable when you listen to the new “Sometime You Can’t Make It On Your Own” song. With or Without You has been redone to have an antiseptic menace. The Album has the effect of drawing attention to Bono’s lyrics and amplifying their impact. The revised “Invisible” conveys more suffering than was initially sung, while the new “Ordinary Love” appears like a tone poem. Some of them don’t work, such as when the horns defanged “Red Hill Mining Town” and took away from its gloominess. Despite some clever new lyrics, the updated “Lovely Day” is not an upgrade over the original; it has been rendered lounge and meandering.

Bono’s voice has been controlled and tamed in a new version of “Pride (In the Name of Love),” removing the abrasiveness and rage of the original. Moreover, Bono’s appropriately argued “I shall sing a new song” line in the new “40” has been rendered feeble and passive.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	One	3:36
2	Where The Streets Have No Name	4:17
3	Stories For Boys	2:51
4	11 O’Clock Tick Tock	3:58
5	Out Of Control	4:09
6	Beautiful Day	3:53
7	Bad	5:31
8	Every Breaking Wave	5:11
9	Walk On (Ukraine)	4:07
10	Pride (In The Name Of Love)	3:57
11	Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses	5:17
12	Get Out Of Your Own Way	3:27
13	Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of	4:34
14	Red Hill Mining Town	5:02
15	Ordinary Love	3:13
16	Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own	5:00
17	Invisible	4:23
18	Dirty Day	3:57
19	The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)	3:29
20	City Of Blinding Lights	4:55
21	Vertigo	3:29
22	I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For	4:15
23	Electrical Storm	4:13
24	The Fly	4:02
25	If God Will Send His Angels	5:14
26	Desire	2:56
27	Until The End Of The World	4:44
28	Song For Someone	3:48
29	All I Want Is You	4:28
30	Peace On Earth	4:22
31	With Or Without You	3:14
32	Stay (Faraway, So Close!)	5:03
33	Sunday Bloody Sunday	4:13
34	Lights Of Home	4:20
35	Cedarwood Road	3:24
36	I Will Follow	3:40
37	Two Hearts Beat As One	4:08
38	Miracle Drug	3:35
39	The Little Things That Give You Away	4:52
40	“40”	3:03

Album Summary

This collection won’t persuade you to love U2 if you’re not a fan. However, you will be astounded by their adaptability if you are an enormous enthusiast. A band that is prepared to stand in its way is something that even casual fans must respect.

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