If you’re only familiar with One Republic through the ubiquitous Timbaland mix of Apologize, you’d be forgiven for assuming the LA fivesome were smooth, Maroon 5-style R&B balladeers.

Their second single Stop And Stare reveals the truth, striping away the glossy 21st Century production to expose the traditional rock band underneath. Singer Ryan Tedder’s roots are as a Nashville songwriter-for-hire, so it’s no surprise that the band’s hooks are sturdy and well-crafted. Like a well-made chest of drawers say, or a lovely shelf.

Like The Fray before them, One Republic are one of those all-American acts who feature heavily on bittersweet TV dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy – usually at the point where a spurned, chunky-jawed hero stares manfully out of a car window in the rain; cue end-credits – and sell million of albums in the US while never quite breaking the UK, largely because they don’t need to.

Stop And Stare is taken from One Republic’s debut album, Dreaming Out Loud.

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