Interscope
Pop, 2007

There are two reasons that you’ve likely heard of One Republic before. One, you are familiar with Timbaland’s remixed version of their Apologize. Two, you’ve seen Ryan Tedder wheeze and whine away the same song with David Archuleta in the finalé of the seventh season of American Idol. I prefer the original non-remixed version of Apologize myself, and you should be aware that this is more representative of One Republic’s music than Timbaland’s slightly electronic version of that song.

Dreaming Out Loud is a difficult CD for me to evaluate. I really want to like this CD more because I like Ryan Tedder’s voice. I always have a fondness for men who sing beautifully even in falsetto and Mr Tedder is one of those men. However, apart from a handful of tracks like Apologize, Goodbye, Apathy, and their other hit single Stop and Stare, most of the songs here come off like filler materials. Tyrant, for example, is a repetitive and boring song that meanders on and on for slightly over five minutes, making it an interminable chore to listen to.

It is not that the songs by themselves are boring. Some tracks, like Say (All I Need) has some experimental elements. I especially like that “oom ba-ba oom ba-ba” sound effects that remind me a little of the Dream Academy’s Life in a Northern Town. But yet, despite the best efforts by the group, too many of the songs here are on the bland and forgettable side.