Bonus Feature: CD

The marketing campaign behind U2's long awaited album, No Line on the Horizon has been ho-hum at best. A whole week with David Letterman blows. An appearance on Good Morning America?! What?! Are you trying to remain relevant or are you content with the adult contemporary label?

Rushing to purchase on drop day, I couldn't wait to get my hands on U2's latest creation. First impressions?! Well, let's just say there is a reason I waited to review. My initial impression: let down.

There is no obvious single jumping from the CD. Get on Your Boots--the opening performance at the year's Grammy awards--is as rockin' at it gets. That's a cool song, but listener be warned. U2 is almost mellow here.

It's only after repeated listens, that the subtlety emerges. The title song is beautiful and expansive--a warm up for Bono's superior vocals. Magnificent, guaranteed to be the most radio friendly, is reminiscent of Beautiful Day. Moment of Surrender is an early favorite, containing Bono's trademark lyricism and stellar guitar melodies from The Edge.

The album is one s-l-o-w burn. Even now, I'm leaning towards this one being a footnote for the band. I don't get it. Bono's strong social-political leaning are cryptically encased in gentle songs. Perhaps I'm not intelligent enough to 'get' it, but I not too sure there's anything to 'get'.

No Line on the Horizon isn't gonna make it with mass audiences. There is no clear single and thanks to a marketing bomb... well, I don't see it. Fans of the band will find something to celebrate here, i.e. tracks 1,2,3 and 6 {are Ipod worthy}, but I don't see this one entering constant rotation anytime soon.