Youth Springdale AR

Youth

Collective Soul

El Music, 2004

REVIEW BY: Vish Iyer

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/03/2005

After an extensive hiatus of four years, Collective Soul is backwith all the positive energy it is known for: This has always beenits strength, and thank god it is still hanging on to it.

The group has gone through a few personal as well asprofessional changes in the four years of its absence: It have anew producer -- Dexter Green -- and a new guitarist, Joel Kosche.Furthermore, Youth is the act's first release on its independent label,El Music Group. Also, singer Ed Roland got divorced, and drummerWill Turpin had a child.

So how much have all these changes affected the band on thecreative front? Thankfully, not that much. The men are as energeticas ever, and importantly, they have limited themselves to theirtrademark style of catchy guitar-hooks, irresistibly singablechoruses, and numbers that last for less than three-and-halfminutes.

The lyrics are as uplifting as the music: "Oh I'm newlycalibrated / All shiny and clean…Oh I'm happy as Christmas /All wrapped to be seen," sings vocalist Ed Rolland on CollectiveSoul's first new track in four years, "Better Now," which featuresthe chorus "Let the word out / I've got to get out / Oh I'm feelingbetter now."