Albums : OneRepublic : Native

Albums : OneRepublic : Native

Listen To OneRepublic : Native

Who is OneRepublic?
Featuring the anthemic songwriting of Ryan Tedder, OneRepublic rose to prominence in 2007, when "Apologize" began its reign as the most popular digital download in American history. Although the song proved to be a quick success, OneRepublic had spent five years touring the musical minor leagues before its release, with Tedder splitting his time between the band's work and production gigs for other artists. Tedder and Zach Filkins formed the band in 2002 and relocated to Los Angeles shortly thereafter, adding keyboardist Drew Brown, bassist/cellist Brent Kutzle, and drummer Eddie Fisher to the lineup in the process. OneRepublic then signed with Sony BMG's Columbia label in 2003; three years later, however, the bandmates returned from a performance at Coachella to find themselves dropped from Columbia's roster.

Nevertheless, OneRepublic's popularity continued to soar on MySpace, and Tedder helped raise the group's profile by penning songs for artists like Blake Lewis and Hilary Duff. Hip-hop producer Timbaland (with whom Tedder had already worked for several years) took notice of the group's audience and signed OneRepublic to his own Mosley Music Group, a joint venture with Interscope Records. Timbaland also remixed one of the group's most promising tracks, "Apologize," and included it on his own album, 2007's Timbaland Presents Shock Value. The song quickly became a platinum-selling single in many countries, breaking airplay records in the U.K. and selling an unprecedented 4.3 million digital downloads in America alone.

Later that year, OneRepublic stepped out on their own with Dreaming Out Loud, a debut album filled with piano-fueled songwriting and pop/rock melodies. The album quickly went gold, and "Apologize" continued to top the singles charts in multiple countries. Another Tedder-penned track, Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love," experienced similar success at the same time, thus making Tedder one of the year's most celebrated songwriters. OneRepublic began writing songs for a second album in 2008, and the group later decamped to Colorado Springs to avoid outside distractions. Although initially planned for a summer release, Waking Up wasn't completed until September 2009. "All the Right Moves," the album's lead single, was released to radio that same month, while the entire album followed in November. In 2013, OneRepublic returned with its third studio album, Native, featuring the singles, "Feel Again" and "If I Lose Myself."

Native Review
OneRepublic continues to show that the group's musical rapport is as strong as ever on their third album, "Native."

Frontman Ryan Tedder's falsetto is superb throughout the new offering, which bleeds with emotion and substance. He and his four bandmates are completely in sync.

Tedder, who has written and produced singles for music's biggest acts, from Adele to Beyonce, shines with star appeal alongside a variety of instruments that are smoothly intertwined, ranging from the acoustic guitar to drums. The 12-track album is filled with refreshing and catchy songs: That's certainly evident when the album kicks off with the well-crafted opening track, "Counting Stars," and first single, "If I Lose Myself," co-produced by hit-maker Benny Blanco.

"Preacher" has Tedder reflecting on the days of his childhood, recalling how his life was infused with wisdom by his grandfather, who was a pastor. Tedder's voice also touches the soul on midtempo tracks like "Burning Bridges," the Jeff Bhasker-assisted "Can't Stop" and "Don't Look Down."


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