What better way to celebrate your 30th birthday than with an all-out extravaganza?
That’s the approach Collective Soul took on their 12th album, turning it into a 20-song, 68-minute blowout of all new material. The Georgia alt-rock veterans have been on a roll as of late; their last album was in 2022 and they continue to tour, even if the song selection remains focused on their 90s heyday.
The band’s musical approach hasn’t changed in 30 years either; it’s still hooky post-grunge rock with hints of pop, balladry and the occasional country lick. Most songs are three to four minutes long, with limited solos and accessible lyrics; if you liked any of the band’s first five albums from their peak, you’ll find plenty here to enjoy.
The issue is, since there’s no deviation from the last 11 albums, this ends up just being more of the same… at twice the length. Yes, there are good riffs and plenty of energy, but there’s also a lot of forgettable, mediocre tracks that could have been trimmed to make this a lean, mean single album. One of the hooks here is that it was recorded in Elvis Presley’s one-time California home, but there’s little to suggest any influence here except maybe on the corny rockabilly “Matter Of Fact.”
The two best songs are at the front. “Mother’s Love” has strong “Where The River Goes” vibes (an early band hit) with its chunky riff and short runtime; it could be a sequel. “Bluer Than So Blue” follows a good riff with an even better Bowie-esque expansive vocal in the chorus. “Words Away” is lovely acoustic/piano piece with an earned and heartfelt electric guitar solo, arriving late in the runtime, while penultimate track “Therapy” is a confident, loping midtempo rocker.
There are no outright bad numbers; the worst of the bunch are the painfully earnest “Bring On The Day” and the cringey corn of “Matter Of Fact” and “Sister And Mary,” probably the two worst songs the band has recorded this century. The rest is just midtempo standard CS fare, not good or bad, just there. It sort of reminded me of the Chili Peppers’ 2006 double CD Stadium Arcadium, which was twice the length of this and only had a handful of truly great songs with a lot of filler.
Still, it takes guts and creativity to release a double album of new music 30 years into one’s career, at a time when many are content to play the hits on the tour circuit and maybe release a forgettable album once every few years at most. And those two opening songs could go on the band’s double-greatest hits album when that day comes, such is their power. Fans of the band will find plenty to love here.