Well, this is a weird one. Collective Soul parted ways with their longtime record label Atlantic following the release of the 2001 hits collection 7even Year Itch, and it took them three years to deliver a new album, which meant there was a gap of four years separating their last proper studio album, 2000's Blender, and its 2004 followup Youth. Freed from the pressures of a big record label and the constrains of post-grunge modern rock radio, the band seized the opportunity to reinvent itself. While they still retain some of their essential DNA, especially when they delve into ballads like "How Do You Love," they restyle themselves in fuzzy, shiny glam threads, sounding like a weird cross between David Bowie and INXS (and on "Feels Like (It Feels Alright)," Roland recalls nothing less than Peter Murphy in his vocals). Since Collective Soul are natives of the American South, they favor big riffs ready for big arenas to slinky T. Rex grooves, and since they once had big hits on the radio, they still favor big, glossy productions, but Youth still comes across as a stylized, somewhat modernized spin on heavy glam rock. It sounds a little bit a streamlined, Stateside Spacehog, which means that it doesn't necessarily sound hip, or like something that the "youth" of the album's title would dig, and it's not necessarily something that fans of their big ballads like "December" and "The World I Know" would like, either. But that doesn't mean it's a bad record. Far from it, actually. While the ballads still are a little too saccherine, there aren't many of them, and the rest of the record is fizzy, outsized, hooky, trashy fun. Anybody that considered Stone Temple Pilots a guilty pleasure, or thought that "Gel" was far and away Collective Soul's best song, should check this out — it doesn't sound much like anything that the band has done before, or like anything that's on modern rock radio, but it's easily one of band's best records. It's a Collective Soul album for people that don't like Collective Soul.

* * * 1/2

Produced By Ed Roland and Dexter Green

All lyrics written by Ed Roland except on "Better Now", "There's A Way", and "Home". Lyrics by Ed Roland and music written by Ed Roland and Dexter Green. All songs published by Sugarfuzz Music, Inc (BMI) "Better Now", "There's A Way", and "Home" also published by Made With Blank Ink Songs (ASCAP).

Recorded by Shawn Grove
Recorded at Brannon Productions, Atlanta, GA, Tree Sound, Norcross, GA, and Quad Studios, Nashville, TN.

"Better Now", "How Do You Love?", and "Under Heaven's Skies" mixed by Chris Lord-Alge at Image Studios, Los Angeles, CA. All other tracks mixed by Shawn Grove at Tree Sound in Norcross, GA and Quad Studios at Nashville, TN.
2nd Engineers: Zack Odom at Tree Studios, James Warner and Aaron Chmielewski at Quad Studios.
Additional Tracking Engineers: Mills Logan assisted by James Warner and John Jaszcz assisted by Grant Green.
Mastered by: Stephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA.

Additional Musicians:
Guitars, piano, keyboards, and programming: Dexter Green
Ryan Hoyle: Additional Drums and Percussion
Guitars everywhere and keyboards on "There's A Way": Chris Donohue
Saxophones: Jim Hoke
Background vocals: Melissa Mathes
Piano: John Lancaster
Organ on "Satellite": Joey Huffman
Percussion on "Satellite": Kenny Cresswell
Background vocals on "Perfect To Stay": Michelle Rhea Caplinger
Background voclas on "Feels Like": Teresa Schaefer and Vanessa Davidson

String selection on "How Do You Love" and "Satellite", violin, and arrangements: David Daidson
Violin: Dave Angell
Viola: Kris Wilkinson
Cello: Sari Deleon-Reist

Art direction and package design: Brian Porizek at IDesigns
All photography: Lee Clower
Styling: Mark Mcnairy
Cover concept: Zach Harkey
Cover model: Annie Shu

Dedicated To Ed and Dean's Grandmothers: Ruby Byrd (1920-2004) and Susie May Roland (1904-2002).

Alternate Pre-Release Covers