OneRepublic Album: “Waking Up”

An Intricate & Captivating Masterpiece!

When I heard "Apologize" for the first time on my stereo I was immediately blown away. I haven't heard such a beautifully, elegantly orchestrated song before in my entire life, or at least for a very very long time. I can't recall such an experience in the last couple of years.

Needless to say, I purchased "Dreaming Out Loud" on a whim because it was on sale for eight bucks and an album can't be that awful, contain fifteen songs, and be hideous for that price. I ended up discovering probably one of my favorite new bands of all time and discovering music on a level unexplainable.

Ryan Tedder is music producer talent extraordinaire. He has been on the map for the last few years being behind the scenes, but his duet with Timbaland really put this superstar on the map. Lyrics and production by Ryan for "Bleeding Love" just really put him on the map and it only went uphill from there when "Halo" was released. The boy just excels, but I digress.

Dreaming Out Loud was constantly being rotated on my Zune and its one of the few albums that I listen to on a daily basis. With each listen I found something new to love, or noticed something in the lyrics that wasn't there before and just fell more in love with OneRepublic. I always thought in my head that if time came for their next album that it would just be a big feat to topple the mass appeal that was DOL. I have to say after listening to "Waking Up" that OneRepublic has done just so. If you loved DOL then you will love their latest effort "Waking Up". It's a CD full of new great material from an amazing band. The album is definitely more alternative and a bit different from the first, but it's still got the OneRepublic magic touch. Ryan has such a wonderful way of using words, so intricate and captivating. The album is a feel good album and just gives you the feeling of hope and the sentiment emotion to want to leave earth a better person.

My favorite track is SECRETS. When the song starts and I heard those violins playing, I knew I was in for a treat and it was nothing bit a sweet treat. The sound of those violins were beyond hypnotic and Ryan plays and blends the lyrics and the chorus so seamlessly that it's nothing but stellar. Profound music on a cosmological level.

The only down side is that there are only eleven tracks. I was hoping for fifteen again. Get the album and enjoy what a real masterpiece album is about.

I was introduced to OneRepublic by a friend of mine who lent me their first CD. I wasn't overly impressed at first, but as time went on, I appreciated it more and more. I also realized I had heard of the frontman Ryan Tedder waaaaay before Timbaland got a hold of "Apologize" (which, imo, he gets too much credit for - the original's not much different from the remix) and I was thrilled he'd finally gotten his break. This kid is CRAZY talented (vocalist, producer, songwriter, and he plays 4 instruments!) and that kind of talent can't stay secret for too long. Before I knew it, I was playing "Dreaming Out Loud" constantly and it's still on regular rotation. So it was with little hesitation that I picked up their latest effort, and I was not disappointed. The group has managed to retain their signature sound while still demonstrating growth. While there were a couple of tracks on "Dreaming Out Loud" that sounded too similar, here, each tune is distinctive. Every time I listen to the CD, I have a new favorite (today it's "Good Life") and I love that it continues to surprise me. "Made For You" opens the CD and I knew it was a hit when I was walking around singing it after only one listen! "Secrets," "Everybody Loves Me," "All The Right Moves," and "All This Time" are also standouts, but I can't say there are any truly weak tracks. It will suit your mood - regardless of what your mood is. Overall, I am VERY happy with my purchase. This one will remain in rotation for quite a while as well. Can't wait to heare the new songs live. Bravo!

I really like OneRepublic. I remember when I first heard `Apologize' and I was instantly hooked. I love their style and their sound and Ryan Tedder's voice is magic to my ears. He has the perfect falsetto, yet he never comes off as anything less than masculine in his delivery. Lyrically, they have a nice repertoire, and just when I think that they can't one-up themselves I hear the next track and I'm engaged all over again.

All of this said, they have yet to produce an album as universally complete as I know they are capable of.

In parts `Waking Up' is a great album. Sadly, OneRepublic winds up tied down by the one thing that makes them so unique; their sound. When you hear any of the songs on this album it is instantly obvious that it is a One Republic song. Even before Ryan starts serenading us, we know that his voice is about to be broadcast. OneRepublic has a signature sound that they drench each and every track on this album with to the point where their songs start to run into one another.

It's a shame, I know.

The eleven tracks on this album range from great to mediocre, with only really one song standing out as unappealing to me, but then again only three stand out as truly amazing to me.

The album opens with a gigantic bang, the first three songs basically setting the bar SO high that the only way to go from there was down. `Made For You' is a fantastic opening track, perfectly fusing the pop beats with the soft piano and that chorus is just hauntingly hushed yet loud with emotional merit. `All the Right Moves' keeps the energy high with a chorus so energetically engrossing you can't help but become a part of the song. Still, `Secrets' is even better. The musical opening is stunning and instantly grabs the listener. The lyrical content is pure and poignant. When the songs snaps into attention less than 40 seconds in with that stunning chorus you know that you have found this bands opus.

And then the album starts to spiral away from itself.

`Everybody Loves Me' is rich with satirical content, but it just doesn't manage to be anything more than a Beck soundalike. `Good Life' is `happy-inducing' but it is also a tad lazy. It just sounds so familiar for them, with no real newness to it. That said, I really like the song. In fact, I really like the entire album, it just doesn't wow me like I expected after that one-two-THREE punch right off the bat. `Marchin On' has grown on me, if not for the fact that it shows true ambition. It can feel a tad long, but no where near as long as the title track, `Waking Up', comes off as. In fact, that song is the one that I just DO NOT LIKE. It is just really bland and it carries on for far too long. `Missing Persons 1 & 2' is nice and subtle, yet it doesn't leave a major impact. It is pretty to listen to, but Ryan's voice does seem to strain in parts. I do like the haunting quality to the song, but it just doesn't live up to potential. The shift in song structure is also odd. Why didn't they separate this into two tracks? `All This Time' sounds like something they've already done, with no real spark or anything to remember. In fact, it actually sounds a tad dated. `Fear' is simply forgettable. It almost feels like an afterthought.

The closing song `Lullaby' would have been less disappointing had the rest of the album been more impressive. It isn't a bad song at all, and it would generally be a great way to end an album (soft, sweet, serene) but instead it just becomes another seemingly dull song.

In the end, I still give this album a B and recommend it if you are a fan of the group. Ryan Tedder is going to stick around (highly in demand as a song writer and producer as well) so I don't expect this band to go away anytime soon, which is a good thing. I want them to release an album that lives up to what I know they can create. They have the goods and they have a unique and signature sound that I really wish they would use to the full instead of allowing it to defeat them by rendering them seemingly `one-note'.

Here is my ranking for those interested:

1) Secrets

2) Made for You

3) All the Right Moves

4) Good Life

5) Marchin On

6) Everybody Loves Me

7) Lullaby

8) Missing Persons 1 &2

9) All This Time

10) Fear

11) Waking Up

This is an excellent cd. It bothers me when a band comes out with a new cd and people say it doesn't sound like their last cd. It shouldn't sound like their last cd (GOOD GRIEF). Music is suppose to expand with greater heights. One Republic is not afraid to do something different and not lose their style. If you like their last cd, than you will like this one.

I don't usually review music on amazon, but I recieved this cd in the mail yesterday and can't stop listening to it! There is no feeling like disovering an album for the first time, it's like falling in love. And I am in love!It is seriously the album of the year. Every single song is so good...I can't decide which I like best. Listening to the track 'Waking Up' I was crying it was that good! Please don't put off buying this cd another day.