Youth - Dark Publications

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Customer Reviews: Read 227 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Recycler. December 9, 2004
66 out of 87 found this review helpful

"Youth" is the sixth album in ten years from Collective Soul. I don't know about other Collective Soul fans, but I was a bit disappointed by 2000's "Blender". It seemed that the band was beginning to be overproduced and glossy, losing some of its personality. "Youth" is just a continuation of "Blender". In fact, I can't believe the band had their longest period between albums to come back with this.

On first listen, I thought this album was great--catchy, memorable melodies with typical Ed Roland lyrics. However, with repeated listening this cd began to wear thin. The songs all started to blend into one another creating one big mud puddle pop-rock album that's overproduced and extremely glossy like all the other rock bands out there right now (take a pick: Vertical Horizon, Jimmy Eat World, Green Day, Linkin Park, etc.)

I have all six Collective Soul cds, and I believe 1995's "Collective Soul" to be the band's best followed by 1999's "Dosage". "Youth" has some great songs (as do all their albums) like "Home", "Better Now", "Him" and probably the best track "Feels Like (It Feels Alright)". The first single "Counting The Days" is good, but I don't think it was the proper first single the band/record label should have chosen. I also see that the band finished their contract with Atlantic records and moved to El Music Group, which must be an independent label. You'd think on an independent label Ed Roland would take more lyrical and musical risks to reap greater rewards, but instead he falls back on "Blender" and just recycles the Collective Soul sound.

So, if you are a Collective Soul fan like myself, pick up a copy of "Youth", you could certainly do worse. However, if you are a casual listener, I'd recommend starting with "Collective Soul" or "Dosage" or try their best of "7 Year Itch".

4 out of 5 stars

A step back...but at least it's a step. December 3, 2004
23 out of 28 found this review helpful

Collective Soul is back and well..they sound the same for the most part. The music is a little more experimental from their 90's stuff, showing that they haven't moved too far away from 2000's release, Blender. However, the Lyrics to Youth are a lot more uplifting than their last album.

As a fan of the downer lyrics off Blender: 10 Years Later, After All, Over Tokyo, Turn Around, and so on...it really is a change of pace to be hearing songs such as Under Heaven's Skies, Better Now, Satellite and so on.

The closest that Youth ever reaches to Blender's comfortable wallowness is on Him. The bouncy intro, it's questioning lyrics, and hypnotic outro just scream BLENDER! Thank you!

The worst song of the album is easily It Feels Like(It Feels Alright). A rocker gone bad, Ed's voice just sounds horrible during the chorus. However not as bad as the voice that joins in singing "It's alright" near the end. This song does NOT make me feel alright. Another reviewer said Counting The Days was a better rocker than this song and well yes, that's true, but I definitely think There's A Way has them both beat.

The best song hands down on the album is Under Heaven's Skies. The band said during a recent concert I attended that they wanted a rocker to be the first single...boy did they ever screw up. Counting The Days is a decent song, however this song would have owned the airwaves. Simply beautiful. Who could not buy this CD after they heard this song? Bad commerical mistake.

In review, there are a lot of great uplifting songs on this album to keep anyone who is in an optimistic mood happy. Collective Soul may have taken a step in a different direction than what I had hoped for but at least it is a step. Hopefully we won't have to wait 4 years for their next one.

4 out of 5 stars

Pretty solid album from a pretty solid band February 9, 2006
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

What I like about Collective Soul, is that they continue to put out albums of music that are diverse in theme and style. Hard Rockers, moody drifting tunes, songs with power as well as songs that are funny as well as fun. The lineup doesn't change, the lead singer isn't in rehab every other day. This band is what a rock band should be: Musicians that put on their hard hats, grab their lunch pails, and go to work every day, resulting in a wonderfully diverse discography that spans over a decade.

With "Youth", we have them opening up with a couple of really great toe tapping, powerful tracks in "Better Now" and "There's a way" which have a lot of the background vocals of an "ah ah ah" type feel that were common with the Beatles and later Van Halen. Diversity is one of Collective Soul's strengths as they could never be pegged in my opinion as "formula rock". Tracks like "How do you love" and "Perfect day" are Perfect examples of this. With an album like that, you can listen all the way through and enjoy it forever, and not just be enamored by one or two radio pop hits which later get overplayed and eventually make you throw it in a drawer and forget about it.

The edgy song "Satellite" rounds out the 11 track listing and is one of my favorites. Collective Soul's been around awhile, but all the more reason their music is not, to me, grouped in with any specific generation or era. Whether you deem yourself old or young, "Youth" will make you feel good. Great album by one of the best bands to come out of the 90's.

4 out of 5 stars

Welcome Back! November 16, 2004
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

Thanks to digital locker, I've been listening to this CD for over a month now. It's truly a great CD from begining to end. In my opinion, it's a lot more pop-oriented, commercial, and listener-friendly than their typically 'heavy' rock material. They still have the same distinct sound that us fans have grown to love, it just doesn't have the same hard edge found on previous recordings. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that...bottom line is, it's still great music to listen to. Highly recommended...you wont' be disappointed.

There are a few gems on this CD, yet I still don't think there's anything 'ground-breaking' here, which is why I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. I think this is truly a great CD, a nice way to get back into the groove, but they're only scratching the surface right now. This band is extremely talented and continually growing and improving with each new venture. I assure you that the next CD will REALLY blow us away.

5 out of 5 stars

Best CD Ever! November 17, 2004
8 out of 11 found this review helpful

It's hard to say any CD is a bands "Best Ever" but when Ed Roland said this at a recent show he was certainly right. The cd starts off with "Better Now" which is unlike any song Collective Soul has ever recorded. "There's A Way" and "Home" are excellent also. "How Do You Love" is the first slower song, but has the feel of "Run" to it that will surely make this a special song. "Him" is a short song that leads right into "Feels Like (it feels alright)". Next is "Perfect To Stay" which is by far the stand out track on this album, I can't say enough about this song. Then there's the hit single "Counting The Days" followed by a beautiful "Under Heaven's Skies". "General Attitude" speeds things up a little only to slow down for the amazing slow "Satellite". You will not be disappointed in this CD!

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