POP MUSIC REVIEW : Georgia’s Collective Soul Makes Vital Debut at Roxy

Ready for a down-home Bono? Or maybe Eddie Vedder Lite? That was the persona suggested by Ed Roland as he led the Georgia band Collective Soul in its L.A. debut at the Roxy on Wednesday.

The singer-guitarist conveyed U2’s conviction that what happens on his stage is real, vital and serious stuff, and he recalled some of Vedder’s taut intensity, complete with voice of steel and eyes whose pupils roll up and out of sight.

Like Vedder and Pearl Jam, Collective Soul--whose hit “Shine” earlier this year launched its debut album toward the million-sales mark--is an anti-fashion, hard-rocking guitar band that confronts feelings of pain and confusion. But instead of anguish or rage, Roland and company respond with a message of hope that’s couched in vaguely spiritual terms.

At the Roxy, the quintet opened with a stretch of monolithic, riff-based new songs that didn’t have much immediate identity. When they dipped into the melodic hooks, dynamic contrasts and atmospheric touches of the album’s material, things picked up considerably, peaking with “Shine.”

That hit’s urgency was enhanced by an almost subliminal double-time throb, more a pulsing of the air than the sound of an instrument, and its play of gentle, reassuring passages against thundering riffs make it both catchy and compelling.

There’s a hint of self-importance in Collective Soul’s music and manner, along with a sense of purpose that could inject some needed substance into mainstream rock.

* Collective Soul and Moist play tonight at the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 8 p.m. $8 (benefit for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation). (310) 278-9457.