Dreaming Out Loud

One of the most expected releases of the year

OneRepublic is a band that has become well-known to a wider audience due to Timbaland's remix of its song. Yet it is now already more than a year that its works are available on the Internet, and for many users composition Apologize is more familiar in its original pop rock variant. Vocalist, pianist and guitarist Ryan Tedder who is also a talented producer and songwriter and has collaborated with a number of stars (Natasha Bedingfield, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Oakenfold among others), decided to form a band with his former classmate Zach Filkins, and the two were later joined by drummer Eddie Fisher, guitarist Drew Brown and bassist Brent Kutzle. The young collective releases its debut album Dreaming Out Loud right in time, for single Apologize has become the most popular song on an American radio, but it is quite different from OneRepublic's music, and everyone should get aware of it. Produced by Greg Wells (Mika, Deftones) and partially by Ryan Tedder, the album has become one of the most expected releases of the year undoubtedly justifying the hopes pinned on it.

A significant part of songs is refined with cello and piano

The style OneRepublic sticks to is very hard to refer to anything particular for it covers several directions from rock to R&B. A significant part of songs on Dreaming Out Loud is refined with cello and piano that add the songs emotionality and movingness, while Tedder's lyrics fill them with a deep sense. The album opens with all the four singles. Say (All I Need) is a very sonically rich composition with an unforgettable tune and Ryan's amazing falsetto vocals. Guitar featured song Mercy is a rockier number with drums worthy of Nickelback, and a mid-tempo track Stop And Stare is remarkable for the most philosophic lyrics dwelling upon the question of bad luck and failure. For a greater part of the listeners Apologize is sure to play the key part on the album, and it is actually one of the highlights here, but definitely not the only one. Multilayer song Goodbye, Apathy is a brilliant example of a band's performance filled with harmonies both in the respect of vocals and instruments, whereas All Fall Down refined with cello is a classic rock ballad with a sing-along chorus. A slow composition Prodigal serves Tedder to give his vocals full string, whereas piano track All We Are is again apprehended as a classic reminding of the best works of Kean, Coldplay and U2. The album closes with a beautiful song Come Home filled with the deepest feelings and Timbaland's remix of Apologize.

OneRepublic: the most ambitious young collective to date

The emotions of the songs on Dreaming Out Loud are the most evident but by no means the only of their merits. Ryan Tedder's ability to render all the power of feelings by his unique voice certainly leaves nobody indifferent but one should ignore neither the musicians' matched playing, nor the beautiful and catchy melodies, nor the texts that ask life questions important for everyone. All these factors serve one big aim – to impress the listeners and the viewers on his concerts, and the impression is so strong that it could rather be compared to a religious experience. This lets OneRepublic not only occupy a worthy position among the bands that have already been acknowledged successful, but also be rightfully considered the most ambitious young collective to date. Hence we can have no doubt that hailing from Colorado this five-piece plans to become much more than just a one-hit band and the superb debut is only a beginning of its way to stardom. There are a lot of songs on Dreaming Out Loud that will easily become hits, and if the guys go on like this, it is most probably get what they want.