Preview by Jon Donnis
More than thirty years after their breakout, Collective Soul are still writing, recording and performing with the kind of tight-knit energy most bands lose after a decade. Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story is the new documentary that captures how they've managed to do it. Set for UK digital release on 7 July 2025 via Miracle Media, the film charts the journey of the multi-platinum Atlanta band from early struggles to long-term success, while highlighting the bonds that have kept them together.
Directed by Joseph Rubinstein and produced by Greg Richling and Jonathan Sheldon of Phonetic, the team behind Immediate Family, this new feature goes beyond the usual tour stories and press clips. It looks closely at the people behind the music. From Ed and Dean Roland's sibling dynamic to the creative relationships with Will Turpin, Jesse Triplett and Johnny Rabb, the film shows how the group has stayed a unit across different eras and line-ups. It also traces the original line-up, which included Ross Childress and Shane Evans, giving a full picture of the band's evolving chemistry.
Collective Soul have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, with six of them reaching gold or platinum. They've scored seven number-one hits, including Shine, December and The World I Know, all of which helped define the sound of American rock radio in the 1990s and beyond. The documentary reflects on that success, but also spends time on the quieter parts of their story. The periods of rebuilding. The years of touring without headlines. The choice to keep creating new material when many of their peers called it a day.
One of the key sequences was filmed during sessions for their most recent album, Here to Eternity, recorded at Elvis Presley's former estate in Palm Springs. They are the only artists since Presley to record in that space, and the film uses it as a backdrop for scenes that are both intimate and reflective. Combined with rare archival footage and behind-the-scenes material, it becomes the framework for a deeper portrait of a band still looking forward.
The documentary arrives just one day before the launch of Collective Soul's Summer Unity Tour with co-headliners +LIVE+, their first shared tour in 17 years. That timing gives the film an extra sense of momentum, reminding audiences that this isn't just a retrospective. It's also a celebration of a group still actively making music and touring at full strength.
Throughout the film, Ed Roland reflects on how the group functions: they talk, they figure things out, they make decisions together. It's that approach, he says, that has kept the band together and the music flowing. Rubinstein calls the story tragic and beautiful, and Richling admits the project was eye-opening, even as someone familiar with the industry. What emerges is a band whose journey has defied the usual pattern, and who still enjoy the process of writing and discovering where a song might go.
Give Me A Word is more than just a rockumentary. It's a close-up of five musicians who still enjoy the work, and who've built something that's lasted longer than most would have expected. The film doesn't pretend it's all been smooth, but it does show how real commitment, shared purpose and creative trust can carry a band through three unpredictable decades.
Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story set for its UK debut on 7 July 2025
Check out more Collective Soul at https://amzn.to/4e6ci4q
