I was a bit worried about OneRepublic’s new album because I loved their first one, Dreaming Out Loud, so much. It’s hard to follow an act like that. So with some fear of being let down, I purchased their latest album, Waking Up. I was very pleasantly surprised. If their first album had echoes of techno and pop influences, their second album adds rap influences, while still not quite being any of these. Ryan Tedder slips seamlessly between melodic singing and speaking while the rhythm and music go on behind him. The group keeps the background strings (cello, violin in some songs) and piano that have helped give their pieces a distinctive flavor, and combined with the various musical influences, Waking Up makes some layered and complex songs. But it is still a pop album, if a well-executed one, so don’t expect classical music. The album overall is much more upbeat than Dreaming Out Loud, which was a bit darker and more contemplative, whereas Waking Up is mostly a happy album, almost deliriously so at times. There are several songs where I find it difficult not to dance (awkwardly, of course) or sway along with the music. All in all, I remain very impressed with OneRepublic, and look forward to their future musical development. Do yourself a favor and buy the album, if you haven’t already. Here’s a taste of it, a song called “Good Life” and one of my favorites: