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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy, quirky and fun, March 8, 2003
I guess I could call Collective Soul something of a guilty pleasure - straight-ahead pop, catchy hooks, singable choruses, simple melodies, everything that a music-snob like me is supposed to hate. But I'll admit it. I like a well-done pop tune too, and CS has a supply of 'em seemingly as inexhaustible as Ben Folds's bag of witty one-liners. Sometimes it's nothing more than two-line verses and a quick chorus repeated a couple times, as on "Tremble For My Beloved." Yet, in the middle of it all they've got a great knack for a melody and they can crank up an addictive beat that's hard to let go. And hey, at least the songs aren't as utterly simplistic and tossed-off as Weezer's (which I also listen to). Dosage, although sporting the weirdest of all their mediocre album covers, was Collective Soul's most accomplished recording at the time. (Haven't heard Blender, so I can't compare.) Underneath the usual ear-candy songcraft there are more keyboards, better production/mixing and more electronic touches than ever before. "Tremble" rides on waves of wah-wah guitars. "Slow" builds a wall of sound big enough to fill your whole listening space. "Crown" slides through to the disc's finish (almost) in a low-key haze of dreamy ambience. Aha, and there's an extra treat - the hidden "She Said" at the end, which floats on a bed of gorgeous strings and another of those excellent choruses. It's an absolute gem. They're essentially nothing more than a catchy rock band, but Collective Soul has a compelling energy and a talent for strong songs that should keep them going for a while. Those who aren't looking for anything more should be well satisfied.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Collective Soul speaks for all ages, November 1, 1999
By A Customer
I'm probably one of Collective Soul's older fans, having been in high school when Zep's "Physical Graffiti" came out, and my tastes have expanded to encompass everything from Celtic music to Finnish pop. Having said that, I'm a sucker for a rock and roll song with a great hook and some thoughtful lyrics, and that's why I love Collective Soul. Ed Roland's lyrics (and I have to say I don't know what the People magazine reviewer was thinking when he/she called Ed's lyric's "hollow") are as relevant to me as I'm sure they are to people 20 years younger than me. "Run" is gorgeous, "Heavy" is the perfect car-driving song, "Tremble for My Beloved," "No More, No Less," and "Needs" are lyrically mind-blowing, and there isn't one dud on this CD. If you listened to Zeppelin when you were in high school, buy "Dosage." It will take 20 years off your life!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Only Popular Band Without Hits., March 17, 2000
Between Collective Soul's 1995 Collective Soul and 1999's Dosage, it's difficult to decide which it the better of the two. I think Dosage is the place to start becuase it contains the great songs "Run", "Generate", "Compliment", "No More, No Less", "Needs", "Slow" and "Dandy Life." I don't think there's a bad track on Dosage. I'm glad radio didn't get the picture last year and overplay this great cd. I like to think of Collective Soul as similar to Rush, U2 and R.E.M. in that they have a strong fan base but don't need to have radio play in order to sell cds. Dosage and 1995's Collective Soul are must haves for any rock collector.
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