easily their best album since the fab five days of the mid-80s. the album's fantastic, not a single weak song on it. stand-outs for me are being followed and the man who stole a leopard.

The band has said that Mark Ronson coaxed out of them something that they basically forgot they had in them. They remembered they were Duran Duran, the songs are all great, and the album is put together so well. I am reminded of ten years ago when U2 put out "All That You Can't Leave Behind"- they served notice that nobody does U2 better than U2. The same holds true here.

The most amazing thing about this album is that it's made of a bunch of "shouldn'ts". A band that's been here this long shouldn't come up with new music. They shouldn't revisit their roots. They shouldn't revisit the styles that made them famous. But with a producer that's obviously a huge fan with a deft touch of his own, Duran Duran goes back to what made them huge - the New Romantic/Dance pop of their first three albums - and comes off as current even though they're putting on the old bows and ruffles.

DD's been some interesting places in the last couple of decades - modern alternative, bluesy, somewhat experimental. While each album has varied in quality, depending on your POV, they've all been brought off with flair. Even the not-so-good stuff is listenable. But this is why we all started listening to DD to begin with. Soaring, synth-drenched choruses, smooth-pitched vocals, meaty melodies and more adept hooks than a sporting goods store's fishing department. They've raided their 1980s wardrobe, found it fit quite well, and it doesn't look in the least bit dated. This is the best album since the "Wedding Album" â… Expand

Great return to form from Duran Duran, with an album that undoubtedly harks back to their golden age, in no small part due to the uber-fan Mark Ronson. They sound re-invigorated, and for a band 30 years into their career, this is no mean feat. Particualr stand outs are The Man Who Stole A Leopard, Girl Panic and the title track, and there are some good bonus tracks out there too - c/o Amazon, HMV and/or Best Buy, the pick of which is the laid back and funky Early Summer Nerves. Long may the resurrection of this great band continue! Bring on the tour! Lose one point for the slightly dull Leave A Light On.… Expand

as badgerfan21 said "Really pretty astonishing - 50-somethings are not supposed to have this kind of album left in them".the great 80s are back for real!

The album kicks off with titular track "All You Need Is Now". Over a whirring, alien synth Simon Le Bon declares "It's all up to you now, find yourself in the moment". And we do so quite comfortably, because it's a defining moment and there's a feeling that we've been here before. Then from nowhere, a crashing chorus enters the fray, as Nick Rhode's glittering synths (which could easily have been borrowed from 1984's "New Moon On Monday") slide across Le Bon's harmonic vocals, Roger Taylor's booming drums and John Taylor's evocative disco bass like a match made in heaven.

Second track "Blame The Machines" was inspired by a man from Germany who, at the command of his satellite navigation system, drove his car against oncoming traffic along the wrong lane of the autobahn. In what is perhaps a criticism of how reliant the world has become on technology, Le Bon sings "I blame myself and I blame the machines" over Dom Brown's roaring guitars and an addictive Nick Rhodes arpeggiator synth. A great track overall.

Third offering is "Being Followed", a track which draws from the paranoia of living in a world where every person, every place and every movement is recorded on CCTV and companies such as Google are deploying cars to photograph our own neighbourhoods. Like "Blame The Machines" the song is driven by one of Nick's arpeggiator synths and features a pulsating bassline over a classic Roger Taylor drum beat. "I'm not alone, being followed. Someone always watching what we do" sings a paranoid Le Bon in the chorus. The lyrics are quite dark and are very similar to the lyrics of Duran Duran's early songs, especially in the second verse: "Fog is lifting, a sillouette begins to show and the moment is stolen". Le Bon sounds like he's 21 again during the breakdown / outro of this song.

Next up, the album takes a breather for "Leave A Light On", a low-tempo ballad with acoustic guitars and a smooth low-energy synth. It's a chance to allow yourself to slow down before the second half of the album arrives. A pleasing effort though.

Track five is "Safe (In the heat of the moment)" which features Ana-Matronic of The Scissor Sisters, who delivers the raunchy intro "People say that you've been around, how about you and me get down?". With John Taylor firmly taking charge, the track is funky and has a strong Disco vibe. It was conceived during the very first recording sessions with Mark Ronson back in February 2009. But it's a surprisingly weak and also a rather cheesy effort, sounding more "Scissor Sisters" than "Duran Duran" and more "Disco" than "New Wave". Out of place on an album which mainly owes it's sound to Rio, this is probably the only weak track on the album. Sixth song "Girl Panic" is another track born of the early recording sessions with Mark Ronson who previewed it on his radio show in 2009, from a point where it has noticeably evolved into something truly brilliant. With a vibrant, intergalactic synth lead and some classic JT bass playing, it is yet another track which digs deeply into the "Rio" foundations to produce something quite memorable. As Le Bon screams "In a girl panic, this drop is naked through my mind / It's a crush panic, she's got me atomised" one could easily call this the sequel to "Girls On Film". Dom Brown on guitar does a fine impersonation of Andy Taylor again, as he does so well at many other points on the album. Another standout track.

Seventh track is "The Man Who Stole A Leopard" featuring R&B singer Kelis and like a phantom in the background of the mix, she echoes Le Bon's words, playing the role of the leopard itself. A dark song which harks back to the sound of Duran Duran's self-titled first album, the opening plays like a chopped-up version of "To The Shore" before evolving into "The Chauffeur" and then "Tel Aviv". Owen Pallett (of "Arcade Fire" fame) provides the strings here. A brooding song with more than a few nods to the band's past and really quite beautiful.

The album speeds up again for the glorious "Runway Runaway", a short but sweet song which sounds very similar to the classic Rio track "Last Chance On The Stairway". The song talks about a girl fleeing away to become a model, leaving the places and people that she grew up around and diving into the big bad world, something that we can all relate to. An instant classic and easily one of the best tracks on the album. Finally "Before The Rain", which sounds like "The Chauffeur" if it was made on Duran Duran's first album instead of "Rio", has Le Bon weeping over haunting strings and some trademark Nick Rhodes FX atmospherics & synths. It grows towards a fantastic rhythm section before turning into a march as Roger Taylor fires off a precession of military snares. The perfect album closer and yet another classic.

Overall, best Duran Duran album since "Seven & The Ragged Tiger".… Expand