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In this easy-going video, members of Collective Soul explain that they'd never played an acoustic set until they made this four-day journey to Morocco for the series Music in High Places, but you'd never know it from the quality of their playing. While the Roland brothers (vocalist Ed and rhythm guitarist Dean) join lead guitarist Ross Childress with their unplugged six-strings, percussionist-bassist Will Turpin and drummer-percussionist Shane Evans play indigenous instruments to form a tight, acoustic rhythm section. The simple premise of the series (sending first-rate musicians on expeditions to ancient landmarks around the world) is surprisingly effective, and the production values are impeccable, without losing focus on the music (like the hit single "December") that Collective Soul is famous for. Of the dozen songs performed, two are new, five are from Blender, three from Collective Soul, and two from Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid. While this may disappoint devotees of Dosage, these songs have a cohesive quality that blends well with the band's musical stops in the Sahara desert, a 700-year-old casbah, the market of Marrakech (an outdoor highlight), and elsewhere. Ed Roland's belief that rock & roll should be fun is expressed in the band's overall demeanor: they're talented but not too serious (except, perhaps, when Roland objects to having a monkey on his shoulder). Even on rainy days, the Moroccan landscape is breathtaking, and while the group's spoken observations are mostly innocuous, it's clear that this was a special experience for all involved, and that feeling comes through clearly in this recommended video. --Jeff Shannon
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