No reason to 'Apologize'

The band may be called OneRepublic, but its sound is anything but a union of similar vocals, lyrics or rhythms. In its debut album, "Dreaming Out Loud" (released Nov. 20, 2007) OneRepublic landed on the rock scene like seasoned professionals, capturing a wide array of experiences and emotions in an accessible and enjoyable album.

One of the many recent groups to rise to fame through myspace.com, OneRepublic has been on MySpace Music's "Top Artists" list since summer 2006, with over 12 million total song plays. While OneRepublic is not an abstract or conceptual band, it garners mass appeal due to the honesty and thought that penetrate its songs. The band's collaboration with platinum-selling producer Timbaland on the remix of "Apologize," certainly hasn't hurt the Colorado act's success either.

The album kicks off with "Say (All I Need)," which quickly satisfies the listener's appetite to hear something Apologize-esque with long, belted falsettos from lead singer and band founder Ryan Tedder. The electronic beat and melodic wind-like voices are catchy, and "Say" may very well be that song that you will sing in the shower.

After the opener gets you hooked, the band jumps into the bread-and-butter pop-rock that undoubtedly caused many listeners to tune in over the internet. OneRepublic has a refined sound that is youthful, but at the same time reminiscent of past rock successes Lifehouse, The Goo Goo Dolls and maybe even Coldplay. Just as the second track, "Mercy," begins to wear thin, the album shifts to what could potentially be the group's second single, "Stop and Stare." The song starts with a melancholic troupe that seems to describe the band's anxiety to depart from the small music circuits of Oklahoma and Colorado: "This town is colder now, I think it's sick of us /It's time to make our move, I'm shakin' off the rust /I've got my heart set on anywhere but here /I'm staring down myself, counting up the years." The song progresses quite smoothly and hits you with the band's trademark emotional combination of vocals, guitars and drums, which flow almost cathartically from your speakers.

The next track, "Apologize," is a catalyst for an immediate grin and a feeling of giddiness. Given its ubiquity on iPod playlists and frequent airtime on radio stations, most people can probably sing along from the first verse by now. This song makes it immediately apparent why Timbaland recognized OneRepublic as a diamond in the rough. The band's version offers very similar lyrics, inflection and intonation as Timbaland's famous remix.

After riding the emotional high of "Apologize," the band sneaks in some filler. Nevertheless, these interludes allow the band to experiment with new instruments and sounds. Whether it is the unique use of a shaker in "Goodbye, Apathy," the violin dispersed throughout "All Fall Down" or the U2-like "Tyrant," these songs prove to be quite strong. They demonstrate that OneRepublic, while content with its position under the pop-music umbrella, strives to defy generalizations.

The band's eclectic theme continues in "Won't Stop," which has a folk sound to it that departs from the resounding drums, heavy guitar rifts and long harmonies of previous songs. "Won't Stop" is an excellent feel-good track that seems to prepare you, in its quiet confidence, for the more tumultuous "All We Are" that follows. It's poetically circular chorus picks up on the song's metaphor for the perpetuity of relationships and seems an apt track or theme song for an MTV teen-reality drama.

The most impressive song of the album arrives at the end. "Come Home" is a song that resonates with the listener; it cements OneRepublic's place atop the charts and establishes its merit for being there. The piano resounds as powerfully as it did in the Beatles' "Imagine," while the vocals match the honesty and brooding of James Blunt. The band's success rests in its diverse, youthful and intimate sound. OneRepublic is familiar enough to please mainstream audiences and powerful enough to make you dance — unapologetically.