Blood [CD], Collective Soul, CD

This year, Collective Soul celebrates their 25th anniversary as one of rock's most influential bands. From their humble beginnings in Stockbridge, GA to the heights of playing to sold-out audiences all over the world, Collective Soul has cemented their place in music by creating indelible, smash-hits like "Shine", "Breathe", "December", "The World I Know", "Gel", "Heavy", "Precious Declaration" and more. The band's new album BLOOD is the culmination of a quarter-century of 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 frontman Ed 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.” From the hard-charging skitter of "Over Me" to the optimistic declaration of "Right As Rain", the hopeful uplift of a man "Changed", and the tender promise of "Big Sky", BLOOD delivers in full from stem to stern.