Collective Soul Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
After delving a bit too deeply into glam on 2004's Youth, their first foray into indie recordings, Collective Soul straightens things out on its 2007 follow-up, Afterwords. Contrary to the implication of the title of "New Vibration" -- the hard-hitting opener on this, their seventh album -- Afterwords brings the band close to how they sounded about a decade before, when they were riding the peak of their popularity and when modern rock bands could still be heard on the radio because there was modern mainstream rock radio. If this kind of radio still existed in 2007, Collective Soul could still have hits, at least with an album like Afterwords that unapologetically plays to their core strengths of hooky, sturdy songs, delivered unpretentiously but grandly, as if they were designed to fill an arena. There may be no one song as grabbing as "Gel" or gently transcendent as "Shine" -- or even anthemic as that power ballad classic "The World I Know" -- but the songs are big and tuneful, crying out for the appealingly glossy production they're given. Collective Soul needs that kind of huge, clean production -- the kind of recording where the drums sound cavernous, the guitars are pushed to the front along with the voice, and the slight electronic flourishes, such as the occasional drum loop, are buried and used as texture -- because they're at heart a mainstream band even if they're now on an independent label. The fact that they're now on an independent is more a reflection of the nature of the music business than the music, because Afterwords is the kind of good, solid mainstream pop/rock that isn't heard much in 2007 and anybody missing that sound should seek this out, especially fans who weren't quite thrilled with its glammier predecessor. Unlike Youth, Afterwords is a Collective Soul album for those who like Collective Soul. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Home: A Live Concert Recording with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra'
Release Date 2/7/2006
Tracks 24
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With just about every hard rock band issuing collaborations with symphonies (Metallica, Kiss, Scorpions, etc.), it was Collective Soul's turn to do the deed in 2006, with the release of the CD/DVD Home: A Live Concert Recording with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. But unlike some of the other bands that have taken the "symphonic plunge," Collective Soul's sound was always heavily orchestrated -- most noticeably on their 1995 hit "The World I Know," so it's not that big of a stretch for the band as you might assume. And as a result, it all comes off sounding more natural than usual -- unlike some of the other symphonic rock experiments that sound extremely forced musically. Recorded in their hometown during April of 2005, many of the songs are actually improved in these orchestrated versions, also something that can't be said about your usual rock/symphony hybrid. Name a Collective Soul favorite and it's here -- "Listen," "December," the aforementioned "The World I Know," "Gel," and of course, their breakthrough hit "Shine," which serves as a set closer. Regardless of whether you like Collective Soul or not, after hearing and viewing Home, it should be widely agreed that they're one of the few rock acts that successfully pulled off the symphonic rock experiment. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Well, this is a weird one. Collective Soul parted ways with their longtime record label, Atlantic, following the release of the 2001 hits collection 7even Year Itch, and it took them three years to deliver a new album, which meant there was a gap of four years separating their last proper studio album, 2000's Blender, and its 2004 follow-up, Youth. Freed from the pressures of a big record label and the constraints of post-grunge modern rock radio, the band seized the opportunity to reinvent itself. While they still retain some of their essential DNA, especially when they delve into ballads like "How Do You Love," they restyle themselves in fuzzy, shiny glam threads, sounding like a weird cross between David Bowie and INXS (and on "Feels Like (It Feels Alright)," Roland recalls nothing less than Peter Murphy in his vocals). Since Collective Soul are natives of the American South, they favor big riffs ready for big arenas to slinky T. Rex grooves, and since they once had big hits on the radio, they still favor big, glossy productions, but Youth still comes across as a stylized, somewhat modernized spin on heavy glam rock. It sounds a little bit like a streamlined, stateside Spacehog, which means that it doesn't necessarily sound hip, or like something that the "youth" of the album's title would dig, and it's not necessarily something that fans of their big ballads like "December" and "The World I Know" would like, either. But that doesn't mean it's a bad record. Far from it, actually. While the ballads are still a little too saccharine, there aren't many of them, and the rest of the record is fizzy, outsized, hooky, trashy fun. Anybody who considered Stone Temple Pilots a guilty pleasure, or thought that "Gel" was far and away Collective Soul's best song, should check this out -- it doesn't sound much like anything that the band has done before, or like anything that's on modern rock radio, but it's easily one of band's best records. It's a Collective Soul album for people who don't like Collective Soul. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After the disappointing sales of Disciplined Breakdown, Collective Soul made a move back to the sound that was so successful on their self-titled sophomore effort. Dosage is a step backward into familiar territory, and it invites mixed results. While the singles "Run" and "Heavy" are two of the band's biggest hits in years, much of this album seems to sound slightly more tired than Collective Soul's recent efforts. Collective Soul has always been best when performing a mix of ballads and harder material, and Dosage holds true to that formula, although the ballads (which are not quite as strong as the ballads on previous albums) rule this album. Kicking off with the upbeat "Tremble for My Beloved" and "Heavy," the album quickly slows down and fails to reignite. Only a few of the ballads (among them the hit "Run" from the film Varsity Blues and the mid-tempo "No More, No Less") manage to leave any lasting impression, and the majority of the up-tempo rockers seem like filler. This doesn't mean that Dosage is a weak effort, though, as there is still more than enough here to please fans. Ed Roland continues to grow as a songwriter, and Dosage is another successful set of radio-friendly pop/rock that, while far from radical, is a worthwhile listen. ~ Jason Damas, All Music Guide
'Disciplined Breakdown'
Release Date 3/11/1997
Tracks 12
Label Atlantic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Disciplined Breakdown has to be one of only a handful of records inspired by a songwriter's breakup with his manager, but despite its origins, the album is another smartly assembled arena rock collection from Collective Soul. Ed Roland knows how to co-opt contemporary alternative rock trends and refashion them into hard-rocking anthems, as evidenced by the first single, "Precious Declaration." He still has a problem coming up with a consistent set of songs, but Disciplined Breakdown is nearly as slickly entertaining as Collective Soul's eponymous second album, and its best moments indicate that Roland is beginning to develop a distinctive hard rock style of his own. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It would not have been surprising if Collective Soul had become a one-hit wonder. Straddling a line between '80s arena rock and jangling, '90s alternative pop, their debut was a pleasant affair that became a multi-platinum smash. They don't tamper much with that sound on Collective Soul, but the results are every bit as enjoyable due to the engaging melodies that lead singer Ed Roland and company seem to create at will. The hits included the infectious "Gel," sarcastic, mid-tempo "December," and the lovely, soaring ballad "The World I Know." However, most everything else works just as well, from the churning "Where the River Flows" to the gospel-tinged "Reunion." While not exactly ground-breaking, Collective Soul delivers the goods with a dozen, hook-laden songs for which they were awarded another multi-platinum outing. ~ Tom Demalon, All Music Guide
