Faced with the present, a glorious past can also become a burden. This 14th studio album by U2 contrasts sharply with The Joshua Tree, of which released in 2017 . The Joshua Tree's 30th anniversary was celebrated with a world tour, which received rave reviews almost everywhere. Songs Of Experience does not get it - and that is understandable. It is not a bad record, but after U2 successfully
… reinvented itself on the strong (1991), the Irish mega band actually manages to capture less of the zeitgeist with every album. Not a problem in itself, if Bono and his colleagues wouldn't try so hard. This is how this successor to (2014) the Autotune, which is particularly popular in hip-hop circles (in the otherwise quite beautiful Love Is All We Have Left) and there are 'hip' contributions from Kendrick Lamar (American Soul) and Haim (Lights Of Home). It seems a bit cramped, but hey - U2 can go around the world again. (RME)more