U2

U2 have their feet firmly back on rock 'n' roll terra firma; How To Dismantle... is, for the most part, a lively affair. Nothing rocks as solidly as "Vertigo," but songs such as "All Because of You," "City of Blinding..." and "A Man And..." would sound at home on The Joshua Tree, and that's heavy praise, indeed!

Halfway through the excellent new U2 album, Bono announces, "I like the sound of my
own voice." Well-said, lad; well-said. Ever since U2 started making noise in Dublin several
hundred bloody Sundays ago, Bono has grooved to the sound of his own gargantuan
rockness. Ego, shmego -- this is one rock-star madman who should never scale down his
epic ambitions. As the old Zen proverb goes, you will find no reasonable men on... More >

Pop music as spiritual balm--there are worse ideas ("Miracle Drug," "Vertigo"). (Grade - **)