‘Touch And Go’ Is An Intriguing New Offering From Collective Soul

By: Philip Sayblack

Collective Soul’s latest album, Touch and Go, will finally get a CD release next week.  The 10-song record’s CD release will come July 31, more than three months after the band initially released the record on vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive.  Why the band went this route instead of just releasing it on both platforms all on the same day is anyone’s guess.  That aside, it is still a presentation that is sure to interest audiences.  This is due in part to its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly.  The record’s lyrical themes are just as accessible and familiar as its musical body, making for even more interest for audiences.  The album’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the presentation.  All things considered they make Touch and Goa surprisingly engaging and entertaining addition to this year’s field of new rock albums.
Touch and Go, the latest album from Collective Soul (the band’s 13th studio album), is an interesting new offering from the veteran rock outfit that is sure to keep audiences engaged and entertained.  That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements.  The arrangements in question are of note because they find the band moving in a much more pop oriented direction than ever before.  That is not to say that the band has not had some pop-leaning compositions in its existing albums but none of the band’s albums have leaned this heavily on more pop rock style compositions.  From its opener, ‘Rainbow’ to its finale, ‘Love Your Way,’ the album’s musical body is more akin to works from the likes of Kurt Baker, Joy Buzzer and others of their ilk.  The “purest” rock oriented composition featured in this album comes in the form of ‘Fun,’ the opener for the album’s second half.  Interestingly enough, the use of the keyboards and electronics herein also gives the arrangement something of an 80s new-wave vibe.  Many of the arrangements featured here have those subtle touches alongside the pop rock lean, too. On another note, a close listen to ‘Feel,’ one of the album’s much later entries, reveals a piano line that is actually a “tribute” of sorts to John Lennon’s ‘Imagine.’  This is rather interesting considering the song’s lyrical theme, which focuses on the all too familiar topic of romance and relationships that seems to dominate most of this record.  This will be discussed a little later.  The whole of those sounds and styles makes the musical body of Touch and Go reason enough in itself to take in this album.
Going back to the matter of the album’s lyrical themes, lyrics were unavailable for this album ahead of its release.  The result was having to listen very closely to the songs.  Full discretion, sans lyrics some of the content was a little bit difficult to decipher in full.  However, in the bigger picture of the record’s 35-minute run time, it can be noted that by and large, this record is dominated, lyrically, by that all too familiar theme of romance and relationships.  From the uncertainty in certain relationships in ‘Eye on You’ to a seeming story of someone desperate for love in ‘All My Days on Thru,’ to a man who obviously is infatuated with a woman in ‘Shooting For You,’ the noted argument is clear.  At this point, the only song featured in the record that breaks from that seeming norm comes in the form of ‘Heavy,’ which is, well…a heavy emotional piece in which front man Ed Roland sings that “Life’s a heavy load.”  This even with people saying that life is so many great things.  The story on this song would be certainly interesting to learn especially – again – as it sits alongside the album’s other seemingly overarching lyrical content.  Keeping all of this in mind, the lyrical content featured throughout Touch and Go is sure to appeal to a very targeted audience; more targeted than its musical arrangements, which certainly will appeal to a specific audience.
Rounding out the most important of the album’s elements is its production.  From the beginning to the end of this unique new offering, its production ensures a solid aesthetic presentation.  Save for one song, ‘Fun,’ the record’s production expertly balances the songs’ vocal and instrumental performances.  In ‘Fun,’ Roland seemingly sings through a megaphone and that presentation is lowered greatly against the instrumental performances.  The result therein is that again sans lyrics, it is somewhat difficult to catch the message.  That aside, the rest of the record’s production is a fully positive in its own right.  When this is considered alongside the record’s overall content, the whole therein leaves Touch and Go a unique presentation that is definitely a calculated risk for Collective Soul that will still appeal to certain audiences.
Touch and Go, Collective Soul’s forthcoming 13th full-length studio recording, is an interesting new offering from the veteran rock act.  That is due in part to its musical arrangements, which take the band in a completely different direction than that of its existing catalog.  In place of the more direct rock lean of the band’s existing catalog, the band instead goes in a much more pop and 80s new wave direction.  This previously unexplored direction is sure to make the album appealing to a very specific audience.  The album’s lyrical themes, which seem to focus largely on the all too familiar topic of relationships and romance will limit the record’s appeal just as much as the album’s musical arrangements.  The production puts the finishing touch to the whole, ensuring an aesthetic impact that will at least appeal to all audiences.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the record.  All things considered they make Touch and Go an intriguing new offering from Collective Soul.
Touch and Go is scheduled for release on CD July 31, following its vinyl release this past April as part of Record Store Day.  More information on the record is available along with all of Collective Soul’s latest news at:
Website: https://collectivesoul.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collectivesoul
Twitter: Collective Soul (@CollectiveSoul) on X