Album reviews: U2, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Ronan Keating

A 30-year-old Irish rock favourite, a redoubtable blues duo and Boyzone’s erstwhile frontman are reviewed this week

U2: Achtung Baby is a career-best achievement

ROCK

U2

Achtung Baby: 30th Anniversary Edition (Island)

“The sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree,” was how Bono described The Fly, the lead single from Achtung Baby and the first sign of something very different from a band that knew it had to change creative direction in order to survive. A 50-track digital “box set” (with various remixes and previously unavailable B-sides) arrives on December 3, while this week sees the release of its vinyl counterpart. Bells and whistles aside, the album is a career best for U2 and (so far) a never-repeated blend of focus and audacity. ****½