OneRepublic - "All the Right Moves"

OneRepublic soared to the top of the pop singles chart with their first major release "Apologize," assisted significantly by the name power of their music industry angel Timbaland. Since that time OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder has become one of the most in demand songwriters and producers in the music business. Leading up to a new OneRepublic album, one of the clear questions has been whether Tedder spent his pop inventiveness and energy on other artists with little left for his own band. "All the Right Moves" should go a long way in easing any of those fears.

Watch Video

Purchase / Download

In a recent interview I conducted with producer and songwriter Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, he stated that a key promise he has made to his bandmates is that he will never write or produce music for another artist that sounds like what he does with OneRepublic and vice versa. "All the Right Moves" is an outstanding example of Tedder sticking by this promise. The song rests on a massive hook around the lines, "All the right friends in all the right places, so yeah we're going down. They got all the right moves in all the right places, so yeah we're going down." The high speed drum rolls are irresistible as is a gorgeous piano and guitar break. This is definitively not an attempt to repeat the group's success with "Apologize," but the band demonstrates an exhilarating surefootedness with elements that can make a pop song irresistible.

Lyrically, the exact meaning and point of "All the Right Moves" is somewhat obscure, but the audio textures formed by the words fit perfectly into the sound of the record. The overall feel is of an air of sadness in not quite being able to achieve one's goals and aspirations with another. Regardless of whether you experience a depth of meaning, you are likely to be singing along.

Ryan Tedder and the band seem to have an endless inventory of sounds to use and layer as the song progresses. This structure prevents any possible boredom from the repetitive nature of the chorus. "All the Right Moves" is a recording lovingly structured by an expert at work. Tedder has spent much of the past year creating hit recordings for other artists as songwriter and/or producer. Here he shows that he did save some exciting "moves" for his own band.

OneRepublic's commercial success with "All the Right Moves" still remains up in the air. Although they can clearly put together stunning pop material, a clarity of identity and focus for the band that pop fans can easily recognize continues to be elusive. However, "All the Right Moves" is one of the true pop gems of late 2009. The album Waking Up should be awaited with eager anticipation.