Published on May 3, 2006
For music of Collective Soul’s kind, with its tightly
wound crisp guitar hooks and foot-tapping three-minute long
energetic numbers, capturing its sound live and making a record out
of it was a natural progression.
It is surprising, though, that the band took
Metallica’s route and did a symphony live record, especially since
it is not known to be drastically experimental or even eccentric
enough to take such a step. Moreover, when the symphonic orchestra
in question is made up of teenagers, it makes for a bigger surprise
to this unexpected move from a band, which one would expect no more
than a straightforward live record from.
But for a outfit that is not meant to be
path-breaking, and is underrated all the same, such a move is a
good way to show the world that Collective Soul is capable of being
unconventional, and that there is more to these guys than just
their catchy pop-rock anthems.
Though this project may sound too weird, Home
can be treated like any other live rock album. The band doesn’t
allow the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra to take over its songs
completely; instead, Collective Soul performs like a regular rock
band, and the Youth Orchestra provides an additional layer to the
tracks without indulging in them too much. It acts as a part of
Collective Soul, and not as a separate collaborative unit.
As far as the tracks covered on this record go, Home
encompasses pretty much all Collective Soul favorites, with an
extra focus on songs from Youth. The cuts don’t sound much
different from their studio versions, yet are just as energetic,
honest and lively.
The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra has some fine
moments on this record where it stands out, making a powerful
presence: The lush horn section on “December” pumps up its original
toned-down orchestration; “Heavy” is made racier and more chaotic
by some exhilarating film-score arrangements that sound like a
soundtrack from an action flick. On “Crown,” the experimentation
goes a step further and the song is completely transmogrified, with
the music consisting of strings and nothing else.
Though tied to the group’s Youth project,
Home is basically a “best of” disc, and offers almost
everything that the band’s greatest hits CD 7even Year Itch
has, coming off as an even more comprehensive collection of this
band’s hits over its 12-year career. Best of all, it captures
Collective Soul doing what it does better than making exciting rock
music in the studio: playing it live.