U2

I start by saying that a great song, even if you change the arrangement, is still a great song.

And that is what happens with Songs of Surrender, a collection of 40 songs completely rearranged by Bono and co.

Listening to it, one almost has the feeling of entering into complete intimacy with the band. The atmosphere is such that one can imagine being anywhere.

The songs have been taken to extreme minimalism, where Bono‘s voice creates that disicanto that is impossible not to be transported by.

I imagined myself listening to these songs at a classic MTV Unplugged with a theatre set up with low lights and lots of candles.

But also at home, with U2 on the sofa in front of the fireplace, Bono‘s warm voice warming us and Edge‘s guitar providing harmony.

Before listening I was thinking of a new collection with distorted tracks that could have ruined timeless classics.

Instead, I totally changed my mind and indeed some tracks without all the arrangements show all their beauty by taking on new life.

With this album, U2 have closed the circle that began in the early 1980s.

It is a work that does not jar, but gives us an intimate version of a great band, almost as if they wanted to speak intimately to all the fans who have loved them all these years.

Songs of Surrender is by no means the swan song, Bono and co. still have a lot to tell and the way they do it will certainly be special.