DIVERSE, INSPIRED REPUBLIC
MY OH MY One Republic
ITS debut album Dreaming Out Loud dropped in 2007, resulting in the megahit single Apologize that propelled the group to superstardom. A decade later, the group returns with an impressive release, MyOhMy.
Frontman Ryan Tedder has written songs for numerous pop stars over the years: Adele’s Rumour Has It, Beyonce’s Halo and Taylor Swift’s Welcome To New York, just to name a few.
No wonder the group’s previous album, Native, scored a platinum in 2013.
Its latest 16-track My Oh My is on my favourite list so far with its beautifully blended stretch of musical styles, which is different compared to previous releases.
Album opener, Let’s Hurt Tonight, has Tedder singing, “so I’ll get the lights and you lock the doors, we ain’t leaving this room ‘til we both feel more, don’t walk away, don’t roll your eyes, they say love is pain. Well, darling, let’s hurt tonight”. An enjoyable acoustic track with guitar strums, it progresses with the addition of heavier instrumental layers. It somehow reminded me of I Lived from Native.
With more than three million streams on Spotify, it’s clear that they’re starting off on the right note.
The mid-tempo Kids, with its electronic embellishments, simply works. Its 31 million Spotify streams does speak for itself. A.I., on the other hand, featuring Peter Gabriel, seems a little too dull and monotonous for my liking. The techno-style isn’t really my cup of tea either.
On Choke, Ryan’s sleek and modulated vocals work perfectly paired with the piano. That’s not even the best part, when the song hits the chorus, it’s eargasmic! Imagine a gospel-like choir performance in a chapel with Ryan taking centre stage. It’s a song about losing your better half and the pain that comes with it — something we can all relate to.
My top three picks from this latest offering are Let’s Hurt Tonight, Choke and Wherever I Go. I love that the album closes with more upbeat and happy, feel-good tracks like Heaven.
Tedder did mention in recent interviews that this album was designed for music lovers to craft a playlist with no conformity to any particular genre. True enough, this release is arguably the group’s most diverse yet. They could’ve just rehashed their winning formula but chose the road less travelled instead.
★★★★★