 COLLECTIVE
SOUL
From the Ground Up EP
El Music Group 2005
www.collectivesoul.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
Collective Soul mastermind Ed Roland originally went in to the studio
to record some demo material. While he was there realized that
the music Collective Soul wrote in its most organic form (acoustic) is
what the
band had always been about. He called in the rest of the band
to
help capture how their songs start in their infant form before nurturing
them into what people are accustom to hearing. The group put twists
and turns
on a couple of their more popular songs and even dusted off a
few demos that had been sitting in storage. In just two days From the
Ground
Up
was recorded. It’s an eight song, unplugged release.
Genre
Rock / pop-rock
The Good
The production of this release is perfect. The acoustic guitar tones are comforting
and enjoyable. Ed Roland is in perfect voice as usual on tracks like “Youth”,
Perfect to Stay”, and “Under Heaven’s Sky”. But...
The Bad
The CD is incredibly boring. All the tracks tend to sound the same with
no real tempo changes. By the time the cowboy be-bop sounds of “Counting
the Days” came around, I was ready to chuck this CD out the window.
I can’t believe for one minute that this is what it originally sounded
like. They also chose not to include their biggest hit, and a near acoustic
number to begin with “The World I Know”; or even “Shine” for
that mater. That would sound killer acoustic.
The Verdict
Collective Soul is probably one of my favorite bands of the last decade,
so it’s very difficult for me to say how disappointed I was with
this release. As I said before, the songs and band sound great but
the album as a whole becomes tiresome. This may be a treasure for die-hard
fans that just have to have everything by Collective Soul regardless
of what it is or sounds like, but if you’re a regular fan you
can skip it. If you’re a casual fan, you better off buying Youth.
It won’t disappoint.
Did You Know?
El Music Group was founded by Collective Soul.
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
Collective Soul - Youth
--George Dionne
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