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 Keep It Simple
Van Morrison
Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
Another Country
Tift Merritt
Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
Juno – Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists
Yes - Their Definitive Story
Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08
Huntington, NY
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U2
Classic Album Review 1983
With War, U2 finally found their voice. No, I’m not referring to Bono’s overpowering penchant to howl with conviction like a werewolf baying at the moon. He could do that since "I Will Follow". What I’m saying is that he finally found an adequate means of rising to the challenge presented by the band and started dealing with topics in a manner that was worthy of their anthemic creations. For example, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" addresses the violence that is inherent in Irish politics from an extremely personal perspective. Bono brazenly wears his heart on his sleeve, belting out his viewpoint as if it were a matter of faith…which, of course, it is.
War is one of the most strident albums I have ever heard, but extremely powerful nonetheless (or, is it powerful specifically because it is so strident?). The album conveys strength of purpose in what needs to be said, even if the words aren’t forthcoming. When Bono sings "I don’t know how to say what’s got to be said" in "Two Hearts Beat As One," he confesses his own state of confusion. It’s as if he has seen too much to convey the feelings in his heart, and this forthright honesty makes him seem simultaneously vulnerable and artistic. His bold confession seems profound within the context of the song’s driving rhythm, making this one of the best songs of 1983.
War occasionally gets mired in the same confusion that plagued October (as on "Red Light" and "Surrender"), but the good far outweighs the ordinary here. This is the album that made it very plain that U2 had a promising future. "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year’s Day" and "Two Hearts Beat As One" packed a combined wallop that was undeniable to anyone with ears. "’40’" closes the album as a simple rock and roll prayer for a better future, and in the context of its surroundings, it actually works without sounding pompous.
In "Like a Song…" Bono sings "I won’t wear it on my sleeve," but the fact is that he does. ‘It’ isn’t a badge of solidarity to any political party, but a badge of independence, pride and self-expression. It’s a badge that I myself would wear, if I could muster the conviction. B+ Tom Ryan
Grade: 
 
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