Vibrating
does indeed vibrate, thrumming along with its dense layers of fuzz and intertwined riffs, sounds that have been at the core of
Collective Soul
's music since their inception in the mid-'90s. During the ensuing decades, they've occasionally softened and expanded the sound, yet they've never abandoned it, which may be the reason why
works as well as it does. The 2022 album isn't so much a return to roots as it is an accentuation of the band's heaviest, hookiest elements, so much so that the record seems to be a hyper-stylized spin on
's identity: this sounds like the band, only turned to 11. That doesn't quite mean that
is an excessive or indulgent album; there are no detours, no botched experiments. Rather, it's the sound of a band being fully, completely themselves, relying on their song- and studiocraft, resulting in an album that's far more tuneful and vigorous than the group's veteran status would suggest. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine