Lots of us liked Parachutes, the astoundingly mature debut from the impossibly young Coldplay. But you had to wonder - did they have the wherewithal to produce another album as good?
This first single from A Rush Of Blood To The Head answers such doubts in compelling and classic style. With Chris Martin's heartbreakingly powerful and instantly recognisable voice giving a full head of steam to a full-of-hooks chorus, it remains only for the rest of the band to add in well-judged instrumentation, which they do with aplomb.
With this record, Coldplay affirm their status as an indispensible force to be reckoned with, and as songwriters to rival the best currently scribing.
more