Thank you Timbaland. Thank you for making us a household name. Thank you for bringing our music to the attention of lovers of good music everywhere… That must be what Ryan, Zach, Eddie, Drew and Brent are saying every time they bump into Timbaland. If you haven’t heard their collaboration on “Apologize” yet, you’ve either been in a coma for a few months or you were raised by a pack of wolves and discovered by a missionary on his travels yesterday. It remains one of the most beautiful ballads released at the end of last year and the album also includes their own version of the song without Timbaland’s signature “Ehs,” “Uhs” and “Ohs”

Since the summer of 2006, OneRepublic has consistently been ranked as one of the top musical acts on MySpace, due to high exposure within the online community. The question on everyone’s lips was whether OneRepublic is a one trick pony. Dreaming Out Loud gives sufficient proof that they have a lot to offer. Next single “Stop and Stare” has all the makings of a great Snow Patrol or Hoobastank track and both those bands better come back with some new material soon or they mind find themselves in “Hooba-who?” and “Snow-what?” territory. According to the band, “Stop and Stare” describes the common frustration of getting to a place in life where you think, "How in the world did I end up here, this isn't where I wanted to be, watching what I wanted pass me by." “The lyrics have shades of melancholy, and there is a definite emotional undercurrent running through them," says the band. "If you can't tap into emotion, you're just selling catchy tunes."

Original member Tim Myers must be kicking himself now for leaving, because this album is going to make One Republic one of the most popular new bands in 2008. Other stand-out tracks include “Goodbye, Apathy” and “Mercy.” And if you, like me, love a piano on some good light-hearted rock, the album will please you.

Strong album… Strong sound… Time to say “Thank you Timbaland, but we’ll take it from here now.”