"Waking Up" is Hard to Do with One Republic Music

I have heard a lot of music from One Republic on the radio over the course of their first two albums, but until this moment did not ever actually pick up one of their albums and give it a full listen through. "Waking Up" is the name of the Cd from One Republic that I tuned in to: will it be a by the numbers pop music water panting or an original work of art?

"Made For You": This is a well constructed, catch you in the right moment and you've got the emotion, nighttime cityscape goes by the car windows, streetlights are light bulbs of not idea, but memory and can you feel the love, like it was "Made For You, " pop single. Musically the song does not stick to one thing, but it does not ever feel disjointed, instead the piano, strings, and drumbeats are matched well to the high notes and echoes. The song lacks the full power of grandeur, however, because it ends up lacking in the overall content department and length. The song cuts out without going beyond the mood setting before the 4 minute mark and turns into a chorus intro to the following song "All The Right Moves."

"All The Right Moves": Inferior to the single I heard off of their first album, but still another example of top quality pop music production with an infectious hook of a beat. This music is maybe one step above boy band music though and I mean that in a negative way. One Republic is a guilty single pleasure here and there based off of their accidental ability to rub against a nerve or two, this song feels like it should be one of those songs, one of those you like even if you are not a fan, but the feeling is quick fading as the song never kicks into the right gear beyond repetitive hook.

"Secrets": This album is a singles machine, as I have heard this song on the radio as well. Another flirtation with catchy pop song, but I'm not one to stay on the hook, because it begins to feel too processed too soon. The singer plays his vocals along the beat quite well though, and it is probably the best song out of the first three laid down.

"Everybody Loves Me": Thump, bump, stomp with guitar twang, this singing preacher pop romp is strong enough to lift itself up above the band's audio weaknesses and is way better as it blasts into the skull than most of the whiny carbon copy crap that seems to be the One Republic single making formula.

"Missing Persons 1 & 2": "Used to be the one not ashamed, now you're shaming," is a little goofy and this piano meets a beat machine that sounds sort of like a beat-boxer mixed with piano and strings is an audio pileup that gets even worse as the whiny vocals crescendo into a hyena sat on a tack squeal. In the center of the song comes a cut away to some dials turns and then a xylophone break? A mess of a song that really doesn't work as a song to me, pop bands trying to rock out with their lil sound making keyboards and such need to take notes from NIN.

"Good Life": Groggy, rise with the morning fog sounds, with looped drum beat over it, does not get complimented by the whistling. I have heard this song on the radio as well, and I can understand it making a generic pop station play list, but it is like starting ones day eating breakfast at McDonalds and then puking it up in the parking lot. Ah, the good life. You're song has to be really good to get by with whistling in my book. Vocals are on point with what One Republic always does.

"All This Time": Back in the day this would probably be a Bryan Adams song. Vocal driven with lots of piano and snare drum accompaniment joined in by a mish-mash of sounds and backing chorus, almost choir style. Another musical example of how One Republic are like a soap opera, acting out like there is a lot of emotion in a scene, but really it is bad acting.

"Fear": The singer's voice is not carrying emotion it is just squeaking and cracking like Hanson going through puberty. When the backing vocals touch with a lower tone, that is nice, and the backing music as a repetitive piano and drum beat mixed with strings affair is not terrible.

"Waking Up": Pipe organ into what feel like guitars lifted from a U2 song. A bad U2 impression is what this song really seems to be, straight through, note by grating note. The lyrics come up short as well, think I heard something about they dig holes and they will dig them in your fields, okie-dokie.

"Marchin On": "Don't care if we bend, I sink us to swim," what is this blabber? A song that is constantly building up into an anthem, but it is not as interesting a climb as it could be, solid radio fare compared to some crap, but no staying power. I say that as a personal opinion, one can probably look up charts and records and such on singles by One Republic, possibly even this one that I know nothing about, and say: uh, it stayed quite high for quite some time. Yes, yes I know, the radio plays and celebrates crappy music.

"Lullaby": I wonder if each song is approached by trying to sound like another band. This feels not so much like a U2 impression this time, but maybe he is trying to capture the vocal styling of Tom Yorke ala Radiohead. The music is lullaby pop music, back into the groggy fog morning stuff, and the impersonation is poor. Something is wrong with One Republic, I just feel something fake emitting from them, I did not go into this review seeking to rip them a new one, and their music is well produced in most places, just something evil and shady behind the formula. It does not seem like a deal with the devil though, or if it is they should ask for their souls back because he did not make them good enough, but money be money I suppose.

"Mercy": A cover song, adequately done for a show like American Idol or The Voice, but not worth anyone's time as a piece to connect with and listen to more than once.

The only song on "Waking Up" that came close to waking me up was "Everybody Loves Me," the rest is toast without the butter: dry.