COLLECTIVE SOUL

Dosage

(Atlantic Records)

With several number one hits under their belt, the Stockbridge, Ga., quintet COLLECTIVE SOUL need little introduction, and by now almost everyone is at least familiar with the group's mantra, "Shine." Singer/guitarist Ed Roland and his brother, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, have quickly mastered the art of faux-melancholy pop craftsmanship. Whether it's a straight-ahead, hook-laden rock track or a sappy power ballad, COLLECTIVE SOUL's music finds its way to the airwaves with regularity.

On Dosage, the band's fourth release, frontman Ed Roland does most of the songwriting and producing, which makes for some interesting developments. The biggest surprise: Some of the songs are actually good! "No More, No Less" sounds experimental, using a drum machine driven hip-hop beat and great harmonies to create an honest pop gem, and "Dandy Life" is a far better pop song than THIRD EYE BLIND's "Semi-Charmed Life." Tracks such as the ballad "Needs," meanwhile, are forgettable.

Roland's auteurish propulsion of Dosage gives the album a crisp, computer-generated sound, and pays homage to some of the band's most obvious influences -- GENESIS, PINK FLOYD, the BEATLES and even pre-So PETER GABRIEL. Much of the music is arranged with strings, including the single "Run." The AOR-friendly single "Heavy," with its catchy chorus and guitar riff, recalls Collective Soul's last rock hit, "Gel." Both singles will help the band sell lots of records as they continue to confound expectations by returning to the forefront of Southeastern rock.

-- Jeremy Arieh