Collective Soul

These likable and talented Georgia rockers deserve every bit of success they continue to get with Dosage, the well-timed follow-up to their 1997 release Disciplined Breakdown and the 1995 sunburster Allegations and Things Left Unsaid. Although lyrically someone in the band appears to have had some love problems recently, the vocal range on "Needs," "Run," and similar one-word-title cuts include perfect, if momentary, double harmonies and melodic rock orchestrations. Ross Childress and the Roland brothers Ed and Dean turn in some fine hard licks on the power-chord-heavies "Heavy" and "Generate." Some of the radio-friendly anthems like "Tremble for My Beloved" and "Not the One" may sound a bit "safe" to some, although they are far less repetitive wailers than their 1994 stratospheric hit "Shine." As if to make up for spending their youths in a music-free Baptist home, Ed and Dean's partnerships with Childress, bassist Will Turpin and drummer Shane Evans have established themselves as prolific and dependably stylish. [Dosage was issued as a limited-edition double disc set in Australia. The second disc was a greatest-hits collection, featuring "Shine," "Gel," "The World I Know" and "Precious Declaration."] ~ Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide