At the dawn of the new millennium, while many Alternative Rock bands from the ‘90s were either no longer active or fading into the background of the current music scene, Collective Soul was still accelerating forward.
Emerging seemingly out of nowhere onto the Alternative Rock circuit in 1993, Collective Soul unleashed their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, which featured the big radio hit “Shine.” A big first impression: few knew what the future held for Collective Soul. Would they be a one-hit wonder? Would they hang around for a while and then fizzle out? Burning questions that many young bands face, it soon became apparent that they were not going away because in 1995, they topped the success of their debut with the self-titled sophomore album Collective Soul featuring huge songs like “December,” “The World I Know,” and Where the River Flows.”
Going on to sustain success with 1997’s Disciplined Breakdown, Collective Soul would close out the ’90s with the release of Dosage. On record store shelves in the winter of 1999, the album Dosage included the signature song “Heavy” and was a significant way to close the decade. Many would even argue that Dosage paved the way for a new-sounding Rock album that dominated the early 2000s. So, how would Collective Soul build off that? Simple: they would strike the iron while still hot and turn out Blender on October 10, 2000.
A mere twenty months after Dosage first made an impact, Blender would mark the start of a new era for Collective Soul that would lay the groundwork for another two decades and counting of prolific success. The band’s fifth overall studio album, and final with Atlantic Records, would also be the last to feature Lead Guitarist Ross Childress, who had been with the band since they began. Furthermore, Collective Soul’s Lead Songwriter/Vocalist/Producer, Ed Roland, and Anthony J. Resta (an accomplished producer who had worked with everyone from Missing Person to Duran Duran and worked with Collective Soul for Dosage) would team together for the production.
Interesting footnotes: with eleven songs, Blender expanded upon what Collective Soul accomplished with Dosage a year earlier, which was the creation of a large, driving sound. A blend of Alternative Rock driven by guitars, there was also a thick layer of Power Pop amidst the energetic and exciting track listing.
Something you could feel in the album’s lead single, “Why Pt. 2,” was also evident in killer cuts like “Skin” and “Boast.” However, the follow-up singles after “Why Pt. 2” offered some of the biggest surprises. These selections included the Industrial-sounding “Vent” and “Perfect Day,” a delightful Pop Rock tune with guest vocals from Elton John. Joining these, you also heard the tingling sound of “After All” and the dreamy acoustic tone of “Ten Years Later.”
Altogether, Blender is precisely what the title implies. Indeed, a mixture of sound and styles, Blender is arguably Collective Soul’s most diverse record ever. Furthermore, despite being the band’s least commercially successful record to that point in time, it is extremely fun to listen to and remains a bold moment in their history.
Set to celebrate its 25th anniversary very soon, Collective Soul honors Blender with the album’s first-ever vinyl pressing. Arriving on Record Store Day 2025 (April 12th), the new release is made possible by Craft Recordings, which is offering it in a stunning Translucent Cobalt color. A lovely blue that compliments the album’s artwork, the vinyl’s quality and sound are also quite solid.
A limited edition release with only three thousand copies available, it would behoove Collective Soul fans to seek one sooner rather than later. A perfect addition to your vinyl collection that honors a highly underrated album, Cryptic Rock gives the 25th anniversary limited edition vinyl release of Blender 4.5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment