Collective Soul – Blender

Collective Soul
Artist: Collective Soul
Title: Blender
Label: Atlantic
Rating: 6.5/10

Collective Soul spins out fantastic rock songs from the heavyhearted ballad to the ass kickers. Blender isn’t much different. Collective Soul just keeps plugging along, often with little notice, churning out great albums.

Ross Childress is perhaps the group’s unsung hero. His guitar work is fantastic and it’s his riffs that have always driven Collective Soul. You only need to hear “Vent” or “Happiness” to get the idea. Even “Why Pt. 2” opens with gritty chops, whereas “Skin” wears tightly to Top 40.

Ed Roland has done well to get away with his sugary ballads that can often get really sappy. “Turn Around” has a honey pot melody, I’m just not buying the sentiment. Elton John joins the sticky situation on “Perfect Day”. I have to say that if you took Ed out of the verse and gave Elton a real go, I’d love this track.

Collective Soul squeezes out a cover of Morphine’s “You Speak My Language”. But they don’t always have to just get by. No, they have the working man’s ideals where you always get your hard-earned dollars worth.

+ rae gun


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