Review: Collective Soul Here to Eternity
By Hal Horowitz
Taylor Swift isn’t the only artist to unleash a surprise double album recently. Georgia rockers Collective Soul also have bragging rights to that career milestone, albeit in a less ostentatious way.
The quintet’s first release since 2022s invigorating Vibrating, and 12th overall, delivers a sprawling 20 track, 70 minutes that’ll take a few spins to absorb. It’s an appropriate way to celebrate Soul’s 30th anniversary and also prove they endure as compelling and vibrant a force now as on 1994s Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid debut.
The founding trio of singer/songwriting frontman Ed Roland, his rhythm guitar playing brother Dean and bassist Will Turpin remain aboard. But instead of expanding their reach, Collective Soul emphasizes the melodic pop-rock that has kept them working for three decades, albeit without any recent hits.
It’s a successful formula though. And with a hefty batch of quality new compositions, each flawlessly crafted, there’s no reason to break that mold. Collective Soul understands and harnesses their strengths—cranking out ringing choruses that often play to the cheap seats—relying on dependable, inspired playing and lyrics, all conforming to a musical model built early on. It’s the rare group that stays fresh this long without repeating themselves, demonstrating they are far from running low on inspiration.
From the opening “Mother’s Love,” with its pumping guitar riff, thumping drums, ringing chorus and Ed Roland’s distinctive voice declaring that the love for his mom gets him through hard times, to the acoustic-based closing ballad, appropriately titled “Over and Out,” a touching love song to (we assume) his wife, Collective Soul’s talents remain formidable.
The power pop “Who Loves” and the widescreen psychedelic glam “Therapy” is offset by the Eagles-styled harmonies of the touching “Letter From E” (where Roland acknowledges he has less time ahead of him than behind) and the lovely, strumming “Words Away” with its glistening piano and Peter Stroud’s shimmering guitar solo. That sonic balance involves the listener as the tracks roll by. The songs are strong enough to stand with the band’s earlier work and Roland’s production, alternating between boisterous and stripped-down, keeps the approach crisp and enticing.
Occasionally they throw in an epic like “No Man’s Land,” a potential future classic that would be the best song on many other bands’ albums, but is tucked away in the 16th slot. It’s worth noting that only two cuts break the four minute mark. Roland, as producer, keeps things tight without injecting extraneous solos or excess verses to tunes that crackle with ambition, understanding that you can say more with less.
At just under five minutes, “Keep It On Track” is the longest entry. Roland sings about the strength of lasting love “Oh you rock, I roll/Oh your young heart/My old soul/Let’s keep it on track” as three guitars weave around each other and backing vocals, creating a whirlwind of sound that is arguably this collection’s finest moment.
It’s the uncommon double disc package that doesn’t cry out for judicious editing to slim it down to a single. But that’s the case with the remarkably consistent Here to Eternity. Ed Roland was clearly on an artistic roll over the past two years. While he isn’t selling out stadiums like Taylor Swift, he used the time to compose and deliver material that makes this a worthy, even essential, addition to his band’s remarkable thirty year run.
It’s one that doesn’t appear to be anywhere near ending soon.
“Mother’s Love”
Collective Soul website
Nice review. Thanks for your insight.
I was incredibly impressed with this effort and it’s my favorite CS album since Blender. A superb veteran release!