Album Reviews

COLLECTIVE SOUL

“Disciplined Breakdown”

Atlantic

* * 1/2

Singer-guitarist Ed Roland’s knack for Beatles-esque song craft dominates Collective Soul’s third major-label album. Revolving loosely around the Stockbridge, Ga., quintet’s recent business and personal crises, the record suggests at least controlled chaos, but Roland’s deft pop production and layered arrangements leave nothing out of line--and prove more impressive than many of the songs themselves.

The band plays nimbly and enthusiastically, keeping the music earth-bound even when the songs’ complexity threatens to overwhelm them. The collection touches on a range of classic licks, from Aerosmith-esque power chords to Tom Petty-style tangles of acoustic and electric guitar to grinding pop-punk. Roland’s lyrics effectively vent the anger and betrayal of a broken relationship on such tracks as the spare, questioning “Blame,” while he seems to reach a pragmatic resolution in “Forgiveness,” pensively singing “now all I really want to learn is forgiveness for you.”

Still, the album feels too much like the sum of the band’s influences, however fetchingly arranged. The best track, the crunchy, elastic “Everything,” has the group sounding like a rootsier R.E.M. in a particularly pop mood. “Disciplined Breakdown” ultimately proves trifling: It’s pleasant enough for an afternoon spin, but light on compelling--or memorable--hooks.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).