I’m new to Collective Soul, only having heard their ‘Disciplined Breakdown’ album previously. This new album is just as Ed Roland describes it; it’s a love album.
Amazon.com - Afterwords Collective Soul
On first listen, you’d brush some of the songs off as too simplistic, ballads, or just pure radio edit versions, but if you listen again; to the lyrics, to the thoughts behind the words, and to the depth and overlay of the instruments the band is playing, you begin to realize how good this band really is.
The album starts out strong with ‘New Vibration’; a rocking tune that gets the blood pumping and toes tapping.
‘What Can I Give You’ is a love song from lead singer Ed Roland to his wife and it’s solid without being sappy or syprupy.
‘Never Here Alone’ has Roland singing about his deceased father but although it starts out somewhat sad, it ends with hope; “I’m starting back where love begins, Gonna get me those blue skies, those blue skies again”
‘Bearing Witness’ has mixes of spiritual and personal elements, and what I get from the song is that he’s head over heels in love with his wife, and is bearing witness to that love by keeping his marriage vows pure while he’s away on tour. There are other elements in this song, but its a definite love song and a public declaration I think. It’s my favorite song on the album.
‘All That I Know’ and ‘Hollywood’ are the two most radio friendly tunes on the album. ‘All that I know’ is hip, pop, and makes you want to sing along. ‘Hollywood’ is the one song that doesn’t seem to fit on this album, especially if you view the entire album as a testiment to love and relationships.
Joel Kosche
‘I Dont Need Anymore Friends’ is guitarist Joel Kosche’s first foray into lead singer and he has a fantastic voice. It’s strong and melodic and he needs to sing more often!
‘Good Morning After All’ is a bittersweet song. It’s a testiment to Ed and brother Dean’s mother, and the daily struggles she faced after the death of her spouse. They lost a father, but she lost a husband. It’s a hopeful song too though – as you listen to the lyrics it shows how their mother still had/has her faith and the will to carry on. It’s also a song of respect – the respect Ed has for his mother, and how he sees her as a person, not just his mom.
‘Persuasion of You’ is my least favorite song off the album, mainly due to the sound of it, and ‘Georgia Girl’ is a bluesy sounding tune that you have to listen to more than once to find the message.
The album ends (fittingly I thought) with ‘Adored.’ It’s almost totally accoustic; just the singer and a guitar or two. In it, Ed gives recognition to the fact that he has a good life with people that love him, speaks about not taking anything for granted, and how the love of his life keeps his head screwed on straight by telling him to count his blessings when he feels the world crushing in on him.
This entire album is a glimpse into the heart and mind of Ed, and to a lesser degree the rest of the band. On the surface it’s a pop album and people will get some great tunes from it. Look a little deeper and you will come away with a sense of hope and joy and realizing that this band is anything but ordinary.
(Video of Ed Roland accoustic – All That I Know)
(video of Collective Soul – I Dont Need Any More Friends )
You can find Collective Soul’s official website HERE
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