OneRepublic Returns With a Can't Lose Single

Sit back and relax. Good advice from OneRepublic to you. The Colorado outfit returns with a new album "Native" and an opening single, "If I Lose You" that isn't burdened by an overly aggressive percussion or the sort of guitar licks you'd associate with harder edged rock. At the center of this calming oasis is Ryan Tedder  who with "All The Right Moves" back in 2009, produced some of the more endearing lyrics from the latter part of the 2000s. In particular I'm pointing to the difference between "the noise you hear and the sounds you like". I don't think that audio comparison has ever been made on a hit song before but, as a dweller of a rapidly growing metropolitan area, I can tell you there is a difference. The noise you hear would be buses, motorcycles, or barking dogs. The sounds you like might be something like birds chirping or possibly the dingle of the ice cream truck. Pulling back on message, "If I Lose You" is more of an ambient jigsaw puzzle. Eddie Fisher is more of a steady timekeeper here whereas in "...Moves" his drumming packs more of a brass knuckle wallop. True the thumping rhythm gets going as the song's power builds but Ryan's reassuring touch is the prime attraction. He brings you into his two person world, a world out of all the faces he's connected to only includes his closest pal. If I was to equate this song to a food product it would be whipped cream. The sound is grounded in Brent Kutzle's meaty bass guitar along with a generous helping of Drew Brown's keyboard showmanship but it's all about Ryan's admiration for the closest person in his inner circle. The band cites U2 as one of its influences, and I buy the connection completely. Like the iconic Irish foursome, OneRepublic's sound is much too larger than life to be pinned down as mere pop rock. I imagine given the right acoustic setting this latest single ought to waft to the very top of the concert hall. The joy of listening to these guys stems from the cumulative barrages of multi-instrumental cooking going on in their kitchen. Put the right flavors in at the right juncture and what you're left with is a musical meal that can appease any and every appetite. You'll do yourself a big favor getting lost in "If I Lose You". OneRepublic has this way of making their presence felt without beating their chests about their artistic prowess. They are a reliably tight American pop rock outfit. "If I Lose You" soars from cabin check, to takeoff, to the ecstasy of being at the 40,000 foot level mentioned in the song. The one quibble is Ryan's singing towards the end, the final several seconds to be exact, sounds a little cutesy. Too much "hoo hoo" if you ask me, which you didn't but, since I'm only trying to help, I tell you anyway. Apart from that "If I Lose You" deserves a spot alongside "All The Right Moves", "Secrets" and "Good Life" in the pantheon of credibility stoking OneRepublic tunes.