Collective Soul
Blender
On Sale Now
For $13.48

Not many bands can brag that their first four albums produced eight number one singles and sold seven million copies. Collective Soul is one of those bands. The driving rock of "Shine," "The World I Know" and "Heavy," managed to bulldoze the charts and hammer the eardrums of the kids in America for much of the nineties.

This past year the Atlanta based quintet ran a contest with a local radio station as they were putting the finishing touches on their new album. Fans were asked to choose a title for the disc. Twelve thousand entries later singer Ed Roland and his bandmates decided on Blender. And the new album was born.

The disc kicks off with the tight rock smack of "Skin." With its throbbing rhythms and double-barreled guitars, the track sets the tone for the songs to come. It's a sign that this record will burn and shake with drama, muscle and detailed song craft.

While other cuts like the riff spectacle "Why Pt. 2" and "You Speak My Language" use decibels as weapons, several tracks here lay back into mid tempo radio territory. "Boast" sways with clean toned strumming and candy coated melodies. "Turn Around" does it up in much the same way, only with a digitized vinyl effect slapped on for good measure.

Then, out of nowhere, comes the song, "Perfect Day." The track's brilliant hook potentially translates into a single of epic proportions. And just to add gasoline to the hit machine, Elton John (yes, Elton John) shares the mic with Mr. Roland. It's a little piece of musical magic. And it could become a new millennium classic.

So, it looks like Blender is an appropriate title after all. The boys do a fine job mixing up the hot rod riffs with the soft underbelly of acoustic music. It's not the most original combination in rock 'n' roll, but it works. Collective Soul just may find themselves at the top of the charts once again. Even if they do have a difficult time naming their own albums.

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