"Back When We Were Kids, Swear That We'll Never Die"

I'm beginning to run out of adjectives to describe the consistency of One Republic's music. They churn out singles like it's their job and set the bar for contemporary pop music. You've heard me gush about Ryan Tedder's lead vocals, but their new single succeeds in it's ability to inspire nostalgia. Kids will invite you to peek back into your past when the world was your playground. When Ryan goes falsetto on the hook, there's an excitement in his voice the aligns perfectly to the subject of the track. Now two tracks deep into their upcoming fourth studio album, I'm more than a little excited to hear what's next...#Kids

One Republic - Kids

"Wherever I Go, I'll Be Looking For You"

It's hard to churn out consistent #1 hits over multiple years and albums, but One Republic always seem to make it happen. They have three immensely successful albums under their belt and their fourth studio album is in the oven. I was planning on posting a Soundcloud link to their lead single off the album, but then they quickly turned around a video for Wherever I Go. The best part about the track is that it's far from formulaic Pop, which would be an easy thing for One Republic to gravitate towards given their past successes. Sure, Ryan Tedder's vocals will be what you remember, but the piano led beat and escalation of emotion on the hook are downright catchy. Catchy, but not in a way that will lend itself to a quick comparison. Let's just say if the rest of One Republic's new album continues to evolve their sound in the way their lead single did, you're going to get tired of reading about them in this neighborhood of the internet this Summer...#WhereverIGo

"Today I Took a Walk in the Clouds"

Some trends are cyclical, but one thing that will never change is the popularity of summer movies. Over the past month there has been a constant barrage of action movies from Transformers to Hercules to Planet of the Apes that will continue with Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. One non-action movie that has flown relatively under the radar is the upcoming drama with Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, The Giver. I remember vaguely reading the book for The Giver, but for the life of me I can't remember what the book was about.

Plot aside, it's hard to argue against choosing One Republic to lead the movie's soundtrack. On Ordinary Human, Ryan Tedder leads the way with harmonious lyrics that emit a triumphant vibe as the song progresses. If you're wanting to both know more about the context of the movie and understand the track better, look no further than the lyric video below. It's like a visual Snickers bar, it has all you could ever want in a small package...#OrdinaryHuman

"If I Lose Myself Tonight, It'll Be You and I"

I know it's not just me noticing this, but this week especially it seems like every artist that hasn't dipped their toe in electronica yet, did so this week. From Childish Gambino to Lil Wayne/YMCMB and now @OneRepublic who managed to incorporate some upbeat synths into their usual ballad. With Ryan Tedder at the helm, you know you're going to get consistently well written and produced track with great vocals, but I like that they went outside their usual sound on If I Lose Myself.

Their new single isn't the only great thing that One Republic has done this week either. They managed to raise over $73,000 for Newtowns' victims families (as of Tuesday). Check their video below addressing the issue and asking folks to donate...

Kudos guys, that was a good message and I'm hoping that they did in some way ease the financial burden on those unfortunate families.

The track below is going to surface on One Republic's new Native album due out some time in early 2013. It's hard to argue against their consistency in churning out chart topping singles and their new one is no exception to that statement...#Quality

One Republic - If I Lose Myself

"It's Like a Million Dollar Phone That You Just Can't Ring"

There a few bands that I like more than @OneRepublic. I'd say about 90% of that is due to lead singer Ryan Tedder's greatness, but they're a band, and should be respected as such. Speaking of which, they did a cool behind the scenes piece in studio that shed light on some of the less heralded band members...

Their lead single below, Feel Again, does a great job of setting the tone for their third studio album. Again, it's fantasy football season so here comes another metaphor. Saying that One Republic's new album is going to be great is like saying Ray Rice or Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers are going to be great. It doesn't get more safe than what they bring to the table. Maybe it's because they make well thought out, complex music or have a great mastermind behind their music, but either way, they make for a reliable band all around.

No word yet on what their new album will be titled, but I'm betting it finds a way to hit shelves before the end of the year. It's great to finally #FeelAgain...

One Republic - Feel Again
|iTunes

"You Say You Never Had it So Good"

All you need to know about the track below is that is is performed by @bobatl and Ryan Tedder wrote and produced it. It's a simple formula that will ultimately end up being successful without fail. To compare, it's a little more pop, sing-alogy compared to Strange Clouds, but the tone of the track sounds like a lot of stuff on his first album like Don't Let Me Fall.

If you remember, I gave his first album a 4.5 headphone out of 5 rating for it's undeniable front to back quality. By my count he's a solid 3 for 3 on single choices for Strange Clouds, but what I'm really looking forward to is the album's lesser known tracks. I say that because tracks like Ghost in the Machine and Lovlier Than You ended up being the tracks I liked most and those were two of the least publicized tracks on the album.

You better believe when his new album drops on May 15th, I will be thoroughly combing metal detector in the sand style for hidden gems. Right now I've got my eye on So Hard to Breathe featuring @iamseangarrett, which is the sequel to Don't Let Me Fall and I'm holding out hope that a finished version of 5 on the Kush will make the final tracklist. Expectations are high after the first album, but from what it's sounding like, there won't be a sophomore slump...#SamBradford

B.O.B. - So Good (prod by Ryan Tedder)

|iTunes

"Is it Ok That I Stay Here, For the Rest of My Life"

I've been a pretty vocal buyer of @jasonderulo since before the Whatcha Say days. Having just released his second studio album, Future History, in September, he's now about to headline his own 2012 Future History World Tour. With all that being said, I was skeptical he'd be able to follow through with a sophomore album that was anywhere near as great as his self titled debut album.

Don't Wanna Go Home and It Girl are catchy and further his rolodex of solid radio hits, but they didn't reach the ceiling that some of his previous albums single reached. Yet, here we have a new non-album single by JD produced by the man himself, Ryan Tedder. I can appreciate Jason trying to diversify his sound away from JR Rotem the way the Game wanted to branch out away from Dr. Dre to prove he wasn't a product of his production. Rest of My Life is a great mid-tempo ballad that allows Jason to show off a little vocal range and hit a couple American Idol notes throughout the track that is dripping with emotional intensity. Individually both Jason and Ryan are huge talents, so it's safe to say, combining the two will eminently end up in one bad ass collaboration...#ProofsInThePuddingBelow

Jason Derulo - Rest of My Life (prod by Ryan Tedder)

"I'm Straight Like 12:30"

Man @bobatl must have heard me raving about @mikeposner's new mixtape The Layover. Not even a full week after Mikey P dropped his front to back classic tape, Bobby Ray let loose his new tape, Every Play Is Crucial. On it you'll find features from @liltunchi, @tip, @eminem, @bigkrit, @bunbtrillog to go with production from Ryan Tedder and @iamjimjonsin...#Exhale. Yea, that's wassup, absolutely star studded like you'd expect from a studio album.

Below are my two favorite tracks that may get lost in the shuffle among the high powered collabos. The first is what you'd expect from track with @roscoedash on the hook. It's laid back, high energy with plenty of horns and a repeatable hook. Oh yea, don't sleep on the quotables B.O.B. sprays all over the track either.

B.O.B. feat Rosco Dash - Guest List (prod B.O.B. & Kutta)


All I needed to see on the second track is that Ryan Tedder was on the production credits. It's got a One Republic type of uniqueness to the beat, which is cool. It's another one of Bobby Ray's addictive sing alongs that you'll find yourself singing after a few listens. Go ahead and try it and don't be bashful about copping the mixtape, it's free and 37,000 have already downloaded it...#WorthThePricex10

B.O.B. feat Spodee - Wrong (prod Ryan Tedder)

"Give 'em Hell, Turn Their Heads, Gonna Live Life Til We're Dead"

Leave it to Ryan Tedder to turn an otherwise mundane track into a crescendo of emotion filled vitality. That's the best explanation I have for @GYMCLASSHEROES's new single The Fighter off their upcoming album, The Papercut Chronicles II. From the soft, piano lead in to the rolling march of the beat, it's as if @TRAVIEMCCOY decided to throw a few verses on a well put together @onerepublic.

It's a well put together single and should push the sales meter just as much as their lead single Stereo Hearts did. Coincidentally, their new album will be out the same day as Take Care on November 15th. With four singles and 11 tracks on the album, it's packed full of goodness and repeat-ability. This one had me singin' in the car and I'd suspect it could have a similar effect on you...#JustWait

Gym Class Heroes feat Ryan Tedder - The Fighter

|iTunes

"Sometimes the Grass is Greener and Someone Else's Sugar's Sweeter"

I've been heavy on the Hip Hop of late, so as a change of pace, today I decided to delve into Pop/Rock. In Septemebr, @GAVINDEGRAW quietly released his second top 10 Billboard album in the form of Sweeter. My guess is you've heard the lead single of his new album, but in case you missed it, check the video below featuring the beautiful Marjorie Lévesque...

That my friends is why men strive make the kind of music that Gavin makes. Every single one of his videos has had supermodel hot talent (see here and here) and in very non-subtle way points out why it pays to have a great voice, even if you're average looking.

Anyways, moving on to the track below, Sweeter, which is the title track on his new album. It is produced by one of my favorite behind the scenes producer/writers, Ryan Tedder. The upbeat guitar riff sucks you in from the start, preceding Gavin's patented piano and unique harmony. To put it simply, it's a feel good track and a necessary addition to my playlist today since I had to forge through inches of snow to get out of my damn driveway today. Really mother nature? A Nor'easter before Halloween...smfh + gtfoh with all that. #SnowIsAWinterPrecipitation

Gavin DeGraw - Sweeter (prod by Ryan Tedder)

|iTunes

Ryan Tedder - I Am a Woman (Jordin Sparks Demo)

Being someone who prides themselves in giving limelight to talented individuals who don't get quite as big a piece of the credit pie as they deserve, it's not a coincidence that I write about Ryan Tedder frequently. I'd venture a guess that 90% of the people who are fans of @OneRepublic don't even know that he is the lead singer or that he does a lot of producing for other artists.

I'll take it a step further and say it takes some balls for any man to proudly demo a track titled I Am a Woman. Not just demo the track either, own it and rock it the F word out like you are proudly exclaiming your race from high atop a mountaintop. Put it this way, if I were to compare it to @jordinsparks's version, it'd probably be a push...

You be the judge, Who Rocked it Better? Demo version or published version?

Ryan Tedder - I Am a Woman (Jordin Sparks Demo)

Buzz Track: Far East Movement - Rocketeer (prod by Ryan Tedder)

Just in case you thought Far East Movement was a one-hitter quitter, they hedged their bets by enlisting Ryan Tedder on the production of their second single that has just as much radio appeal as the that track about those Gulfstream jets.

Don't expect another club raging, uptempo anthem though, this one is more melodic and dreamy type contemporary in sound. Assist to the supposedly archaic Autotune that isn't too overdone that it's annoying, but that's probably because Tedder was on the hook. Oh yea, guess who wrote the track...Bruno Mars. Oh wait, guess who produced it...The Smeezingtons aka Bruno Mars' production crew. Fresh off the printing press is the video for the track below Rocketeer, give it a look...

Needless to say a lot of love and talent went into this track and while it's nothing special, it's a testament to what happens when people who know what they're doing collaborate. Question though, is @brunomars the new Ryan Tedder? I'll let you ponder on that because they have very similar repertoires writing, production and voice wise. Ryan has been in the game way longer with a seemingly larger scope (think One Republic), but not as high of a ceiling as Bruno (has had a top 5 solo album compared to One Republic's two top 25 albums.

It's a Friday and my stats say y'all come at a slower clip on Friday, so I won't get too wordy. Give it a listen below, it's a smooth track and should at least make you hesitate to click the buy button when pondering over their new album Free Wired...

Far East Movement - Rocketeer (prod by Ryan Tedder) (Written by Bruno Mars) (prod by The Smeezingtons)
| Cop It

Sample Justice: Nikki Flores vs Journey - City Lights

Out of all the Sample Justices I've passed judgment on this may be toward the top of the list as far a no brainer, emphatic, hell yesses when it comes serving justice for the sample provided. In case you haven't heard of the beautiful Nikki Flores, you may need to check out a few of her other tracks like Suffocate (prod by Danja) and I Wanna Know You Like That.

It does take quite a bit of courage and audacity to try and tackle a track as classic and timeless as Journey's - Lights. Check it out below if you need a quick F5...

I would have been skeptical of her ability to navigate such a tall task on her own, but under the guidance of the extremely talented Ryan Tedder, it proved to be well within her vocal and musical talents to take the original and put a 21st century spin on it. To get a feel for her musical talents, where she is going with her new album and to get a firsthand sample of how angelic of voice she has, click the play button below...

Pretty tough to beat her potential as an artist, she's got the looks, the voice and now she's under Ryan Tedder's Patriot Records umbrella.

Go out and support Nikki by copping the real version here and give it a listen while you're at it. You be the judge, was justice served?

Nikki Flores - City Lights (prod by Ryan Tedder)
Download|iTunes

Ryan Tedder is the Man

Find me a better all around artist/group member/demo singer/writer and producer than Ryan Tedder. Dude does it all, he's been behind countless singles that have blow up on the radio and oh yea, ya he's also the lead singer for One Republic. I like how he's got a whole album's worth of hits listed on his wiki page as sort of a footnote that is explained as "Other Songs performed by Ryan Tedder". If you haven't heard his version of the songs below, it would behoove you to scour the internet for them:

• All For You
• Back To Me
• Boy Like That
• Dance
• Day In The Life Of
• Everything
• I Will Try
• If This is Love
• Listen
• On My Way Here
• Show Me
• Strong Enough
• The Look
• Unbroken
• Gravity
• Not 2 Luv You
• Ice

I see at least 4 songs that I feel like are Billboard Top 100 Single worthy(The Look, Everything, Gravity, Not 2 Luv You), but they have yet to make it to the general populace. Maybe he's saving them as demos? Maybe they'll surface someday? Who knows, but it's getting a little absurd that he hasn't decided to launch a solo career based on those songs. I can respect how he's leading One Republic on their tour that's about to head overseas to Europe next month after finishing up their US tour by in Philly tomorrow night though.

As far as his two new tracks, it's a toss up right now which one I like better. I'm leaning toward Not 2 Luv You because as the track progresses so does the intensity on the synthesizers, blending perfectly with the head nodding beat and RT's on point vocals. It doesn't surprise me in the least that the always underrated Norwegian production team of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Storleer Eriksen known as Stargate are behind the boards on both these demos. Peep the NY Times article putting a spotlight on the magic this duo creates without getting any publicity love for their creations. Check the first track below:

Ryan Tedder - Not 2 Luv You (prod by Stargate)
| Download

I could definitely see Rihanna doin' some serious work on this next power ballad. After hearing Ryan kill yet ANOTHER demo (Battlefield, Halo, Unbroken), I'm starting to think he's actually a terrible demo singer because he consistently sets the bar waaaay too high on his version. Sure @THEREALJORDIN and @BEYONCE were able to match his skills on the demo versions he had of Battlefield and Halo, but damn, you wanna talk about pressure, try following this dude. Definitely more of a dramatic, pull at your heart strings type of captivating ballad that is accentuated perfectly with the use of piano throughout the verses giving way to a crescendo of energy building up to the hook. At this point, I'm hoping Rihanna attempts to one up Tedder...gooood luck @RIHANNA...

Ryan Tedder - Ice (prod by Stargate) (Rihanna demo)
|Download

New Artist Spotlight - Sean Garrett

This post is a little misleading in that there isn't much new about Sean Garrett, other than him finally deciding to crank out a few singles for himself. He's considered somewhat of a legend as far as writing and producing songs the past seven years. Folks break out the Adderall cause you're about to get learned with a history lesson on your boy Sean here.

Let's start with writing and production credits, I'm going to list a top 10 (this post would be waaay too long if I listed them all). I'll list them in bullet format for emphasis:

1. Usher feat Lil Jon-  Yeah!
2. Beyonce - Diva, Ring the Alarm, Get Me Bodied, Upgrade U, Check On It
3. Chris Brown - Run It, Gimme That, Wall to Wall
   
4. Ciara - Goodies
5. Nelly feat Paul Wall - Grillz
6. Jamie Foxx - DJ Play a Love Song
7. Fergie - London Bridge
8. Pussycat Dolls feat Snoop - Buttons
9. Enrique Iglesias - Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)
10. Ludacris feat Chris Brown - What Them Girls Like (notice the initial shout out by Luda for SG?) 

Do I have your attention now? Yea, needless to say when Jay-Z nicknames you "The Pen" for writing so many hits, you know you're doin' sumthin' right.

Sidebar: What has always and will continue to baffle my mind is how all these legendary writers, demo singers and producers never get the credit they deserve for being instrumental (literally) in most of these hits. It's like giving all the credit to the players and completely disregarding the Coach and General Manager's role in the success of a team. Maybe I value creativity and intellect over god given ability, which is why I'm forever in the corner of the unsung heroes (producers, writers) of the music industry, but in my opinion they deserve just as much if not more for the finishing product.

Back on subject, I bet you didn't know that Sean has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, most recently with his work on Beyonce's I Am Sasha Fierce album. He's also got a pretty recognizable tag line in many songs, most memorable in Chris Brown's - Wall to Wall...

"Smash on the radio, bet I penned it..."


Previously unheard of legendary Ghostwriters like Ne-Yo and Ryan Tedder have managed to step out of the shadows into the limelight to create a name for their own music lately and I'm hoping Sean Garrett is able to do the same for himself. He's got the right frame of mind going into the album, calling himself an "underdog" and noting that "Sean Garrett as an artist is what fans are missing". On the flip side, he's got the swagger and confidence of a seasoned industry vet, exclaiming in his own Terrell Owens sort of way that:

"I'm a f---ing superstar artist/writer/producer, and I will give my fans what they want and what they're asking me to give them: a phenomenal album. I'm the underdog, man, I can't go wrong. I got nothing to lose. Underdogs can't lose." - Sean Garrett

Definitely not short on confidence and after writing so many hits for other artists you can understand why he is so confident in his abilities.

Below you'll see three of my favorite new songs of his. The first being the lead single with Gucci Mane off the aforementioned upcoming solo album. Described by MTV as "a hypnotic chorus over a sneakily insidious snare beat and a hook that instantly grabs your ears", I can't disagree, I couldn't have put it better and definitely sold this one short on last month's Song List I released. I've never been a fan on Gucci Mane, but I am a HUGE fan of Shondrae Mr. Bangladesh Crawford, feel free to check out his growing list of production credits here. He's one of the few producers these days that is not afraid to let loose the gorillas in the trunk, but not at the expense of ruining the track with bass (see Lil Wayne - A Milli). I'll admit, I always thought that beat was overplayed a bit by everyone in Hip Hop...buuuut...after hearing A Milli live in concert I was taken aback (literally) by the elegance of the low bass exploding from the speakers. True beauty...but before I get off subject again, check out Sean Garrett's new upcoming single...

Sean Garrett feat Gucci Mane - Up In Your Heart (prod by Bangladesh)


Just in case you thought his tracks would be dominated by show stopping beats, here's great example of his vocal ability. His soft vocals go well over the rolling percussion of the beat. This is more of demo track since it's a lil' heavy on the instrumental and light on the vocals, but it's got serious potential. How about him gettin' after those vocals with a little intensity at the 3:05 mark of the song. Goodness...the man knows how to create catchy material, check it out...

Sean Garrett - Throw Me To The Wind


I'll leave you with a bubbly trunk rattler orchestrated by Bang-la-dash(board) with Yung Joc. Bubble gum lyrics aside, this one begs you to play it loud and enjoy the repro-con-cussions. Give it a listen and next time you hear Sean Garrett's name, sing his praises so he can become another household R&B name rather than a mythical behind the scenes writer...

Sean Garrett feat Yung Joc - Smooches (prod by Bangladesh)

Ryan Tedder = Underrated and Underappreciated

Sometimes artists don't get the credit they deserve. They work for years to get noticed and even then, a lot of the time they don't gain the notoriety they deserve when their work is done behind the scenes.

Which is a great segway to Ryan Tedder's introduction. Long story short, in 2001 soon after he graduated from Oral Roberts he caught Timbaland's eye via an MTV talent contest. See him below performing one of my favorite unreleased songs titled The Look in 2000 on MTV.



Yea for all of you at home, that means he's been creepin' on a come up for damn near a decade. I love that Brian McKnight openly gave him props on the performance right afterward too...was very fitting. Pretty good for a kid who learned how to play the piano at the age of 3 using the Suzuki method, which basically means he learned how to play by ear instead of through learning notes...oh yea and if you watched the video he also learned how to play guitar by listening to Dave Matthews in college...hah must be nice!

Needless to say you probably know his voice as being the lead singer of the band One Republic and providing you the lead vocals to their songsApologize and Stop and Stare. He started the group One Republic in 2002 with his high school friend Zack Filkins and since 2004 have been a Myspace product, getting over 30 million plays since 2004.

That's the side of him you know, so now that you have a little familiarity with who he is, I'm going to get you all learned on what he does behind the scenes...you know where real artists work to produce that great finished product you end up hearing.

If you want a longer list of his production and writing credits go here, but his highlight reel includes writing the tracks Apologize by One Republic (obviously), Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Halo by Beyonce, Long Gone by Chris Cornell (favorite of mine) more recently Battlefield by Jordin Sparks. Must be why he was up for two Grammys in 2008.

Personally my underground favorites of his writing include Damn Thing by Josh Hoge, Please Don't Stop the Rain by James Morrison and Break Anotha by Blake Lewis...again just my opinion...but on the real quit sleepin' on these!

Oh yea and you knew I'd save the best for last. His writing, singing and performing all showcase his incredible talent, but my question is have you heard him demo some of these tracks?? You wanna talk about a bad decision, having him demo a track, then you try and do it better. So far, Jordin Sparks was the only one to barely escape that trap because she absolutely killed Battlefield in her own right.

Here are my four current demo favorites plus a bonus in hopes of me finally getting you to develop an appreciation for this insanely talented singer, songwriter, and MegaTron of a musical act.

1. Ryan Tedder - Everything (Demo for Leona Lewis) No Way She Does it Better!!!

1. Ryan Tedder - Gravity (Demo for Jordin Sparks) Again, No Way She Does it Better!!!

3. Ryan Tedder - Battlefield (Demo for Jordin Sparks) Great Demo!!

4. Ryan Tedder - History (Demo for Menudo) New Demo!

Oh so you also heard One Republic has a new album coming out in November? That must mean you have heard their new single All the Right Moves?? Betcha can't guess who wrote and produced this one??

Bonus:

One Republic - All the Right Moves Hoootttttttt New Single!!!

Bonus x2: You know I couldn't leave ya hanging on the first track that got him on the map too.

Ryan Tedder - The Look CLASSIC!!!