It takes a bold band to put out a winning self-titled album and then, 14 years later, have the backbone to do it again. Collective Soul is one such band. With their new self-titled album (unofficially called Rabbit by the band), this fun-loving, guitar-based group has done it once again, rocking their way through 11 new tracks with the same energy, talent and spirit they have always shown, proving they deserve the niche they have carved out for themselves in the music world.
The new release does not mark a significant genre change for Collective Soul, though loyal listeners will inevitably notice a few small stylistic shifts. Throughout their multi-decade career, the Georgian crew has always maintained a fairly constant sound, landing somewhere between pop music and grunge-rock. An evolving sound is part of any band’s natural cycle, though, so it is no surprise the new Collective Soul (Rabbit) has changed slightly from past albums, leaning more toward the pop spectrum this time. Their tone is a little brighter; they have become slightly more liberal with their melodies, spreading them on thick and vivid. But changes this slight will be perceptible to only the most devout of Collective Soul listeners. In the eyes of the majority, these guys haven’t changed a bit.
Right from the electric introduction to the first song “Welcome All Again,” Collective Soul is off and running, their loyal fans once again wrapped around their strumming fingers. The innocent-sounding track “Fuzzy” experiments with some new mediums, repeating a simple and somehow unsettling whistled tune in the background.
The lyrics of “You” mark the beginnings of a crack in the rock band’s tough fa?ade: a heartbreakingly sweet testament to one individual caring for another: “It’s always been you/ There’s never been good days/ There’s never been bad days/ Without you.” In “Understanding,” lead guitarist Joel Kosche delights once again with one of his beautiful, succinct, daringly clear-cut guitar solos.
Radio stations had the privilege of playing the single “Staring Down” for the general public on June 8, and now it returns to us in its original packaging, shining amid 10 other gems. The understated closing track “Hymn for My Father” sounds as if it were composed in the hallowed pews of an empty cathedral with a lone piano striking solemn cords. The result is an ending both calming and powerful.
Overall, though, this album is classic Collective Soul, trolling along with their down-and-dirty guitar riffs, Ed Roland’s muffled-speaker vocals and looped melodies.
The only concerns are intrinsic to the same phenomena, or lack thereof. They are raised by the whistleblowers of boredom, hungry for a broadening of horizons in music type, instrumentation, vocal techniques and the like. While it is true every good band should experiment with different sounds every now and then, Collective Soul has found a sound that works for them. Their music has pleased old fans and has continued to attract new listeners for years, and 2009 will be no different. With Collective Soul, the band will leave listeners nodding — or banging — their heads in time, smiles on their faces, impressed by the sheer confidence this band has in their timeless rough-pop musical formula.
4 1/2 stars out of 5.
