Collective Soul announces ‘Blood’

Album features Styx’s Tommy Shaw

Collective Soul is kicking off its 25th anniversary year with their highly anticipated eleventh studio album, Blood, available on June 21st via Fuzze-Flex Records/ADA. The set will be available on CD and LP.

From stem to stern, Blood delivers in full. Witness the hard-charging skitter of “Over Me,” the optimistic declaration of “Right as Rain,” the hopeful uplift of a man “Changed,” and the tender promise of “Big Sky.” The album’s final track — the reflective, poignant acoustified coda “Porch Swing” — features background vocals and tasteful dobro licks from none other than Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, who was beyond thrilled to contribute to the cause.

“I’ve always been a fan of Ed Roland and Collective Soul’s recordings,” Shaw says. “I thought about adding more parts than what Ed asked me to do, but as someone wiser than me once said, ‘Don’t paint over the masterpiece!’”

Blood is the culmination of a quarter-century of Collective Soul — Ed Roland (vocals/guitar), Dean Roland (rhythm guitar), Jesse Triplett (lead guitar/background vocals), Will Turpin (bass/background vocals), Johnny Rabb (drums/background vocals) — assessing not only where they’ve come from, but also where they’re going.

“I think Blood expresses where we’ve been on this life journey,” observes Roland. “And we’ve done so with songs featuring piano and strings to those with a lot of guitar riffs. Blood is an accumulation of all the different styles we’ve used over the years, but it’s still Collective Soul. I think it’s the best we’ve ever done. I know you should think that, but I really do think it’s the best. It’s a good, consistent record. We’re just so proud of it.”

Ever since the barn burning rock band from Stockbridge, GA burst onto the national scene with the runaway success of their multi-Platinum 1993 debut, Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, and its ensuing mega-smash hits like “Shine” and “Breathe,” they’ve been on an upward trajectory that’s seen them play to sold-out audiences across the globe while concurrently amassing a most impressive catalog of beloved songs instantly recognizable by their titles alone.

That 25-year touring tradition kicked off April 12th in Clearwater, FL, as the band headed out on their U.S. tour which should last through the end of the year. They embark on their Now’s The Time Tour with Gin Blossoms starting May 25th in Atlantic City, NJ.

CD | LP

1. Now’s the Time
2. Over Me
3. Crushed
4. Right As Rain
5. Them Blues
6. Good Place to Start
7. Observation of Thoughts
8. Changed
9. Big Sky
10. Porch Swing

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com