You have probably heard the song "Shine" on the radio. Ever wonder who sings it? Collective Soul is the name of the band and they are are doing just that, staring to "Shine."

After trying for a long time to get a record deal, they had all but given up, but Ed Rolland (singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer for the band) just could not give up. He wrote the pop song "Shine" and things started to pick up. A staff member at the local radio station (WRAS) in Stockbridge, Georgia called and said "This is unreal! Everybody's calling here, the reaction's great!" Overnight, "Shine" became the top requested song at the station. Then, other radio stations started to play it, and the albums started to sell at the local stores. All of a sudden, out of no where a VP from Atlantic Records flew down to see them and signed them on the spot. The album has bits of blues, acoustic rock and, of course, the high energy guitars and vocals.

The name came from Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead." "The main character in the novel refers to mankind as a 'Collective Soul'. That struck me as being very correct, we are all a 'collective soul,'" says Roland. The band consists of Ed Roland on guitars and vocals, Dean Roland on guitar, Ross Childrew on lead guitar, Will Turpin on bass, and Shane Evans on drums. With influences like Elton John, Michael Penn, AC/DC, and King's X, the sound is a great blend of styles.

Keep your eye out for these guys, they are preparing for extensive touring and more recording sometime in the near future. Get the album at your favorite local music store.

Reviewer:  C. Thomas, courtesy of Flash Magazine.