OneRepublic’s third album ‘Native’ has been on the scene for just over a month now, but having just got my hands on it I’ve decided to do a little review for you guys. OneRepublic were one of my first profile songs on good ol’ MySpace back in the day and so I have a massive soft spot for them and I’m always looking out for new music of theirs. This is the band’s third album, and after a huge first album and a really disappointingly received second album I was eager to see how Native would turn out and whether it could repeat the band’s original success.
For me personally, Native absolutely did not disappoint. After one listen I was in love and the album has been on constant repeat with me for the past week. Lead singer and songwriter Ryan Tedder has succeeded in writing an album filled with beautiful pop-rock melodies which will float around your head for days and lyrics to really make you think.
Opening with ‘Counting Stars’, the persistent drum beat creates a happy atmosphere which sets the tone for the duration of the album. The chant-style chorus with heavy backing vocals creates a really thick, lovely background noise for Tedder’s smooth vocals to glide over. There’s a cheeky octave change in there which will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and the gradual crescendo throughout the track makes you really excited for the second song. That song happens to be the band’s latest single from the album – ‘If I Lose Myself’. With a drum track slightly reminiscent of their smash hit number one single ‘Apologise’, the song is immediately catchy. Tedder is such an accomplished writer that each song has so many intricate parts, each with a really different hook.
Other stand out tracks on the album are my favourite, ‘Feel Again’, the first single from the album. This song is so summery and beautiful it makes me want to go on a long bike ride in the sunshine. I live in Glasgow where the sun doesn’t exist and I don’t own a bike, but the effect of the song is prominent nonetheless. With a chorus that slightly resembles The Killers’ famous lines “I got soul but I’m not a soldier”, you will be guaranteed to want to press replay immediately. ‘I Lived’ and ‘Can’t Stop’ are great, and ‘Preacher’ is a really sweet song.
It’s such a shame that this album seems to have, once again, been a little bit of a flop. I don’t know anyone else who actually has this album, which is a stark contrast to their debut album which seemed to be absolutely everywhere. Tedder is such a gifted songwriter who regularly writes number one hits for the likes of Adele and Beyonce, but when he has such a beautiful voice himself it’s a real shame that he can’t seem to generate the same success for his own band. Don’t get me wrong, they tour worldwide and continue to produce albums, but I can’t help feel that a band this good should have far more recognition. The only bad thing I can say about this album is that I didn’t have it in my life sooner. It is absolutely perfect summer music and I hope it starts to generate the buzz it deserves!
[rating=5]
