(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)
Collective Soul were the vehicle for Ed Rolands music, the son of a Baptist preacher from a small Georgia town (Stockbridge) with a degree from the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston. After a long apprenticeship, in 1993 Roland struck gold with Shine, the hit that made them famous.
The album Hints Allegations And Things Left Unsaid (Rising Storm, 1994) was essentially a collection of songs written by Roland regardless of the existence of a band. Released modestly, the album ended up selling a million copies, and Shine stayed at the top of the charts for eight weeks.
The virtue of Shine (composed way back in 1987) is very simple: a catchy melody, tuned to the king low of grunge, and played with the vigor of Southern boogie. The second single, Breathe, sticks to the same chord throughout, creating an effect that is both powerful and sentimental.
The Southern tradition is especially evident in the calm racket of the guitars on the more rock-oriented tracks, from Scream to Wasting Time, which could be the best track (top-notch riffs, bluesy sounds, a Soul Asylum-like epic). But undoubtedly the bands strength lies in intricate melodies, and it is no surprise that Ed cites Elton John among his influences: listen to Reach and Goodnight Good Guy (a heartfelt farewell to his grandfather dying of leukemia). Another undeniable quality of the album is its variety, ranging from the country-rock of Heaven's Already Here to Beatles-style vocal harmonies in All, ending with the instrumental Pretty Donna.
Their sound is classy AOR, built on impeccable melodies and sophisticated counterpoint. The lyrics are full of religious imagery, and the three guitars (Ross Childress and the twenty-one-year-old Dean Roland on the other two) obey the most virile Southern standards. From this mix of tradition and modernity, provincialism and internationalism, emerges a melodic sound that runs counter to the prevailing grunge.
Collective Soul (Atlantic, 1995), the bands first true album as a band, contains an equal number of melodic delights, but surprisingly opens with Simple, a noisy and fractured track that compresses funk, hip hop, and heavy metal in the style of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Where The River Flows is equally compelling.
The trademark tracks, however, are Smashing Young Man (light shuffle rhythm and a Stevie Wonder-worthy soul chorus), The World I Know (a passionate elegy with full string section, worthy of Cat Stevens), and Reunion (a sort of subdued gospel), all overflowing with genuine everyday pathos. Among so many catchy choruses, there are also nods to Southern rock, like December, a ballad in the Allman Brothers tradition that fades into a folk-rock march, with Shane Evans exotic percussion prominently featured. Gel was the single that preceded the album.
(Original English text by Piero Scaruffi)
Discipline Breakdown (Atlantic, 1997) spawned the hits
Precious Declaration and Listen. It was a major letdown, even
for the (low) standards of mainstream rock.
Their melodic skills recovered with Dosage (Atlantic, 1999), both on the
romantic/pathetic front (Run) and on the hard-rock/boogie front
(Heavy, Tremble For My Beloved).
Roland's increasing keyboard duties added at least an aestethic element
to an abused formula.
The problem with Blender (Atlantic, 2000) is that the band has no
personality, and all the citations of
U2,
Nirvana and
Smashing Pumpkins
can't create one. A duet with Elton John and a few Beatles-sounding refrains
properly frame the Roland's old-fashioned pop talent.
Seven Year Itch (Atlantic, 2001) is a compilation.
Ross Childress quit and was replaced by Dean Roland.
