U2 return to roots with free release

U2 are back, and how! They caught the music world by surprise on Tuesday with the bold release of Songs of Innocence, free to half a billion people on Itunes.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Sep 2014, 17:00 BST
File photo dated 14/08/09 of Bono of U2, who were forced to postpone the next leg of their world tour after Bono injured his back. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday May 21, 2010. The singer underwent emergency surgery in Germany after suffering an injury while preparing for the upcoming shows in the US. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bono. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA WireFile photo dated 14/08/09 of Bono of U2, who were forced to postpone the next leg of their world tour after Bono injured his back. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday May 21, 2010. The singer underwent emergency surgery in Germany after suffering an injury while preparing for the upcoming shows in the US. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bono. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
File photo dated 14/08/09 of Bono of U2, who were forced to postpone the next leg of their world tour after Bono injured his back. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday May 21, 2010. The singer underwent emergency surgery in Germany after suffering an injury while preparing for the upcoming shows in the US. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bono. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire

That innovative move shouldn’t overshadow the quality of the album, U2’s best since 1991’s Achtung Baby. It’s a return to their roots and it’s more personal than anything they’ve done before.

Iris, Volcano and Song For Someone are immediate standouts. AB