Collective Soul just released the second single from their upcoming album on iTunes this week. The album, Rabbit, is due out August 25th (the date has been pushed back), and the single is called ‘Welcome all Again’. I gave it a listen the day of release and was very ‘meh’ about it, so today while driving, I put it on repeat and listened to it cranked up, four times in a row. Here’s what I think.
Technically, this song sounds more like the Collective Soul we all knew and loved back in the day – this is Vintage Collective Soul sound – but the song misses the mark for me on a personal level. The song basically tells the story of the band meeting at singer Ed Roland’s lake house to record their new album. It talks about ‘meeting your friends’ after a long absence, about waking up in the morning to start the day’s work with amazing scenery on your doorstep, about getting your morning java and about putting in a good day’s work… about midnight swims in the moonlight and drinking beer at day’s end. All the various things the band has done (and captured on Twitpics and video for the fans to watch as well!) during the recording of Rabbit. It should be a good song – and live it might be – killer guitar riffs and heavy rock drumming all building excitement at the beginning of the song and continuing throughout.
But, unlike their first single release, Staring Down, this one is not easily singable by audiences I think. The chorus isnt as catchy and really doesnt have a ‘hook’. Also.. there is something lacking in this song. I’m not sure what exactly; it doesnt seem to have any emotion to it. It’s as if the writer observed and wrote about events rather than participating in them – I don’t get any sense of excitement or happiness from this song, as I”ve come to expect (and do) from most Collective Soul songs. The infectious nature of wanting to share that joy and energy just isn’t there on this song.
On a positive note, Welcome all Again is one of the most ‘gelled’ (no pun intended) songs from Collective Soul in a long time. I’m a firm believer that when a band plays together, jams together, lives together in the same space at the same time – it comes across on the music they record. Much like the flop of Star Wars Phantom Menace being due in part to the actors acting to a blue screen and not to each other – I’m old skool and believe a band that records each instrument weeks or months apart and emails them in to be mixed, misses capturing the ‘chemistry’ that only comes when they’re all together and brainstorming.
This song lacks something (in my opinion only -my friends all love it), but the first single, Staring Down, (I think) has that chemistry – and we’re only on the first two singles from the new album. I have faith that there will be something on this album for old Collective Soul rock fans, and new Collective Soul pop fans, and everyone in between.
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I totally disagree with you. How can you not get a sense of excitement from this song?! This song is full of emotion about how they’ felt about getting together and making the new record. They “holed” themselves up at the lake house and “let the music flow” while having fun. That much was obvious from all the twitpics and webisodes they released while recording. Does it have the deep seeded meaning of Staring Down? Not at all. They’re two different songs, conveying two different messages.
Why does a song have to be “singable” to be good? A song is good if it “moves” you, whether it’s emotionally or physically. No emotion?! This song makes you want to get up and dance and move your feet and bop your head in true rocker fashion. This song is full of energy and excitement and is a kick ass way to start their shows.
After the “pop-ish” Afterwords which was full of love themed, spill your guts type of songs, it’s nice to see (so far anyways) this band putting out a record that is full of fun and new attitude about where they’re heading.
Sometimes, it’s the simple songs with no particular meaning behind them that bring out the strongest emotions in the listeners. This song is about a renewed energy this band has. They’re feeling good. Simple. That’s it. And it makes me feel great when I listen to it. Like you said, this new record is going to have a little something for everyone and I can’t wait.
I love it when someone has a differing opinion from mine – makes for some decent discussion. I have to say I totally agree with you about their last album, Afterwords, being pop-ish and love themed and yes this new song strikes me as more rock oriented, but I still dont feel a connection to it emotionally. I thought long and hard about why – I think part of it is that Ed Roland writes many of his songs in first person – ie I, Me, etc… and this one is more a commentary like you would describe a happening after the fact. Maybe that’s why I feel its not as emotional as most of his songs usually are.
I do aagree though, this song is full of energy and I’ll be quite interested to see how it goes in a live concert setting.
[...] already blogged about Staring Down , and about Welcome All Again -I still stand by both intial reviews of each song (Welcome All Again has not ‘grown on [...]
[...] single from their new Self Titled album (also known as ‘Rabbit’). If you’ve read my review you know I’m not a huge fan of this song; preferring instead their first single, Staring [...]