When Collective Soul decide to disintegrate their collective unit -- or simply release a new album, without the hassle of recording new material -- they'll have one helluva "greatest hits" album to hawk. And after the release of their forthcoming Dosage (due Feb. 9), the quintet can add the new song "Run" (also included on the soundtrack to Varsity Blues) to the hit list of previous chart-toppers like "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and the Scream 2 contribution "She Said" (which is included on the new album as an unlisted bonus track).

Even in a changing musical landscape, Collective Soul somehow, some way, always manage to remain relevant, at least in the eyes of people who still favor the stadium guitar rock of yesteryear over the schizo-samplings of Fatboy Slim. Still, to thine own self be true, monotony can be a bitch, so sometimes it's best to tweak the formula even if it's about to expire.

On the new song "Dandy Life," guitarist Ross Childress gives frontman Ed Roland a break as he steps to the mic to sing lead. After years of axe-wielding, Childress has finally reached a level of comfort with his songwriting and voice that he wanted to, well, "shine" a little himself. "It's tough to be in an established band and all of a sudden do a song where it's gonna get heard," says Roland of his bandmate's turn at the mic. "You know a good amount of people will hear what you sound like."

The tracks on Dosage don't follow a central theme like their last release, Disciplined Breakdown, but do showcase the group's new state of calm and stability. Whereas Disciplined Breakdown spewed anger and turmoil, Dosage represents positive change. Since the last tour, Roland and his wife had a child, and his brother and band guitarist, Dean, got married. Those good tidings allowed Roland to open up and release some of the angst that has shown up in many of their older songs. "Someone asked me, 'Why don't you loosen up a bit? It doesn't always have to be us against the world, whether it's good or bad,'" he says.

For better or worse, Collective Soul will hit the road following the album's release, but they hope to get back into the studio soon to continue riding their recent creative wave. "It's like the Jerry Lewis Telethon, we'd like just a little bit more than last time," Roland quips. "That's where we'd like to be."

ARI BENDERSKY
(February 5, 1999)