Underneath my love for almost all things Metal, some could call it obsession but I don't like that term, I have a growing interest in 90's era rock. Alternative Rock, Grunge, everything in between, I want to start getting into more of it. But I'm a fairly lazy person, and I've only actually checked out a handful of these bands. Despite only hearing a few of the more well known bands such as Radiohead or The Cranberries for instance, I've come to embrace the genre. One of the bands I've grown to enjoy the music of is Collective Soul. I had already heard of the band prior to my revelation that I could enjoy music not labelled metal, as a few of their songs have been used in both sports games and at sports events (most notably Heavy, off of the Dosage album).
In 1995, Collective Soul released their sophomore album, simply titled Collective Soul. The album's sound is very rooted in what was popular in rock at the time. The band makes use of a very catchy post-grunge meets classic rock meets alternative rock style. Needless to say, whether you're listening for the strong vocal performance or the grunge influenced riffs or just the overall memorable-ness of the songs, Collective Soul's s/t album is a treat to listen to. The music is simple, yet effective at the same time. Songs such as December and Where the River Flows display this writing skill very well, as they could draw in crowds from both casual fans and the fulltime fans of rock. In addition to this, the band is able to write songs that, while radio friendly, also have their own soul. Yes, even with songs like The World I Know and December, Collective Soul contains absolutely no watered down, bland moments which may as well have been written by a machine. This itself is a plus, as it makes the music more enjoyable to listen to.
Singer Ed Roland is a large part of the album's sound. His deeper, lower range vocal efforts fit his music perfectly and reflect the hard work put into the creation of the album. As with many of his contemporaries, the vocal melodies are extremely catchy. At times when the musicians do not fully carry the song, Ed steps up into the spotlight. With his powerful voice he can control a song, a talent that can be found on songs like Simple and Untitled. Ed's singing rarely falters, but that isn't to say it never ever does. I have never really been a fan of his performance on Smashing Young Man. During the chorus he sings at a range which is a tad bit higher than what is the norm on Collective Soul as well as a tad bit out of his range. This gets quite irritating quite quickly, as Roland does not pull it off very well. But aside from a rare occurrence such as that, Ed Roland performs spectacularly, and helps make songs such as December and The World I Know must have tracks.
A major element of this release is the song writing. Lyrically, the band focuses on mature themes, most notably life. The band's lyrics address both daily life in tracks like Gel, Collection of Goods, Reunion, and The World I know, as well as life in general. This particular theme is evident in the likes of Where the River Flows, When the Water Falls, and Simple. But regardless of which themes that primary songwriter Ed Roland tries to convey in his songs, it is very evident that much thought and effort were put into them. Similarly to the final point I made about the music two paragraphs ago, artistic integrity is not sacrificed in the more radio friendly tracks with lyrics. It isn't especially difficult to detect the feelings and the emotion found in Collective Soul's lyrics. Even in the ever so popular tracks like December and The World I Know, this element is very apparent, especially in the former. Quality lyrical song writing is not a must for me, but it's always nice when that element is present on the record. Collective Soul nails this with their expressive writing and their interesting topics.
Album after album, release after release, I am constantly learning the ways of 90's rock. With Collective Soul's second release, Collective Soul, the band definitely takes the best of the decade and mixes it together, creating a very memorable 46 minute collection of music. Extremely catchy by nature, Collective Soul features several stand out tracks which although fairly radio-friendly, are fun listens that both hardcore fans and casual fans alike should enjoy. With this release, the band has themselves a real winner, an album which I recommend to all fans of rock.
Recommended Tracks:
December
The World I Know
Where the River Flows
When the Water Falls
Untitled
