Songs of Surrender
by U2
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. The Telegraph (UK)
    Mar 17, 2023
    80
    Erasing the muscular power of an amplified rock combo, Edge explores ways to let other elements shine. In particular, the focus is on Bono’s older yet still powerful voice, devoid of posturing and mannerisms, really digging into meaning and melody. The subtle rumble of Adam Clayton’s bass and tastefully executed percussion from Larry Mullen Jr make themselves felt in all the right places, with full band arrangements breathing new life into a smattering of undernourished songs.
  2. Clash Music
    Mar 16, 2023
    80
    It’s a touching journey reflecting on how the four boys changed into men and changed the world through the power of music at the same time.
  3. Mojo
    Mar 14, 2023
    80
    If their creative missteps in the past two decades have generally been caused by their twin determinations to keep up with modern pop and relentlessly pursue music that works in stadia, then here they’ve cut themselves free from all of that. Ultimately, it may be a watershed moment. By stripping it all back down, in some ways, they’re bigger. [Apr 2023, p.84]
  5. Rolling Stone
    Mar 14, 2023
    80
    On Songs of Surrender, he reminds you these are sturdy songs that can be rethought without any sonic window dressing.
  6. Uncut
    Mar 14, 2023
    80
    The highlights are splendid: a brass-embellished "Red Hill Mining Town", a languid piano-led "Beautiful Day", a near-calypso "Miracle of Joey Ramone". [Apr 2023, p.38]
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  7. AllMusic
    Mar 21, 2023
    60
    U2 deliver smooth, polished performances that are handsome and, yes, intimate but not especially compelling. It's stylish background music that sounds a bit like it was designed to be heard in chain coffeehouses during the late 2000s.
  8. Classic Rock Magazine
    Mar 20, 2023
    60
    It makes sense with the book on your lap, but otherwise, the album may not convince. The acoustics are peculiar on tracks like Pride and the vocal mic seems compressed, rather than expansive. Something to do with surrender, perhaps. What remains of it, when you give yourself away. [May 2023, p.80]
  9. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 20, 2023
    60
    There is disappointment that a number of U2’s big-hitters don’t translate well on ‘Stories For Surrender’, but this revision hasn’t been a totally fruitless endeavour: you just have to dig a little bit deeper to find the reimagined material that’s truly worth savouring.
  10. The Guardian
    Mar 16, 2023
    60
    Neither a disaster on the level of their iTunes launch, nor a triumph to match Zoo TV, Songs of Surrender sits somewhere in the middle of that sliding scale of success.
  11. Pitchfork
    Mar 21, 2023
    57
    Nothing here is unforgettable or in danger of replacing its original. The arrangements are formulaic, regressing back to the stripped-down candlelit era of the original MTV’s Unplugged. At worst, Songs of Surrender is an overindulgence. At best, it’s a pleasant interlude.
  12. No Ripcord
    Mar 22, 2023
    50
    The biggest issue with Songs of Surrender is that U2 often fail to be malleable enough to truly stretch their wings and radically reshape these tracks. They too often, to their detriment, play it safe.
  13. The New York Times
    Mar 17, 2023
    50
    “Songs of Surrender” is the weightier project. Like all of U2’s albums, it’s anything but casual; the songs have been minutely reconsidered. ... But for most of “Songs of Surrender,” less is simply less. What comes across throughout the 40 songs is not intimacy, but distance: the inescapable fact that these songs are being rethought and revived years later, not created anew. Wild original impulses have been replaced by latter-day self-consciousness.
  14. Glide Magazine
    Mar 16, 2023
    50
    The resulting unwieldy quadruple album manages to be overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time.
  15. PopMatters
    Mar 15, 2023
    50
    Their sense of surprise was exchanged for maddeningly consistent predictability. We are left with Songs of Surrender, a quadruple album that sounds exactly how you think it would.
  16. The Independent (UK)
    Mar 16, 2023
    40
    Ultimately this is an album of shadow versions that leave you yearning for originals.

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Most Discussed Album of 2023

User Reviews

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User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 20
  3. Negative: 7 out of 20
  1. ekolite82
    Aug 13, 2023
    9
    Pretty underrated for the quality on hand here. Sound quality has high marks here. Followed by Bono’s weighty voice, which still soundsPretty underrated for the quality on hand here. Sound quality has high marks here. Followed by Bono’s weighty voice, which still sounds pretty good here. The band is stripped down, but suits the music well. The only thing I can criticize is the lack of variety most of the songs have the same feel. But it’s a great feel. I skip a few songs on here but most are great representations of what made the originals so great. I am thinking about getting the deluxe box version of this on vinyl as it would be a nice escape from my daily life from time to time and the box is beautiful. Either way just stream it. Recommended for long time fans.… Full Review »
  2. Ricko
    Jun 15, 2023
    8
    "Songs of Surrender" is a meritable project in many ways. A refined and reflective take on some of the best songs written by the band over the"Songs of Surrender" is a meritable project in many ways. A refined and reflective take on some of the best songs written by the band over the last half century or so. SoS serves to show how great U2 were across the many creative peaks of their career. Ironically, more often than not, the versions on this album make this listener want to dig out the originals. It is doubtful whether this album would have been made had the Covid19 pandemic not happened but that event that caused the world to stop in its tracks resulted in lots of bonus projects when artists were unable to tour. The minimalist production and stripping of Edge's guitar effects shows two things; firstly, just how straighforward U2's songwriting actually is and also how much of a pioneer he is with guitar tones. The backseat taken here by Larry and Adam highlights just how crucial they are to the bands sound. Their stock rises in their relative absence. It is Bono's vocals that take centre stage and steal the show. His voice is not what it was but it is somehow much more interesting now, especially in the context of this album. There are no bad songs here but very few versions match the energy or spirit of the originals. The versions of "Invisible", "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day" come close. I'd also somewhat contoversially argue that the version of "Bad" on SoS is better than the original. The definitive versions of "Every Breaking Wave" and "Get Out of Your Own Way" can be found here too. A decent (if a bit of a long) listen for U2 fans. Unlikely to attract new fans. I would like to see the band take a similar approach to recording new material with more of an input from Larry and Adam.… Full Review »
  3. BillyMate
    May 8, 2023
    2
    Unfunny joke. U2 for the last four albums, proves that just when you think it can't get any worse, they release something even worse than theUnfunny joke. U2 for the last four albums, proves that just when you think it can't get any worse, they release something even worse than the previous album. Might be is right time to retirement… Full Review »
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