(May 28, 2010) — Despite occasional bouts of tedium, pop-rock band OneRepublic’s Waking Up proves to be an album worth listening to, especially for its engaging melodies and vocal expression. The Coloradan band’s sophomore album carries over some defining elements from Dreaming Out Loud and adds on a fresh layer of originality and catchiness. While OR’s debut album presented itself in a calmer, more morose and expressive tone; Waking Up subtly incorporates this tone into its tracks while grabbing the listener’s attention with stronger, more aggressive beats and hooks that refuse to be overlooked. The album opens with a defined beat and piano introduction in “Made For You,” setting up a classical, recurring theme for the album. The driving intensity of this track is later combined with a compelling sense of emotion and expressiveness in “Secrets” and “All This Time.” Finally, the dulled but prominent beat in “Marchin’ On” is an unmistakable example of the melding of sounds. While it proceeds in a sentimental and slightly inspirational manner, it is still bold and gripping. There are, however, less than memorable tracks, like “Good Life” and “All the Right Moves.” Somehow, these songs leave little to be remembered by. The occasional whistling in “Good Life” is reminiscent of Peter Bjorn and John, but there isn’t much else to be noticed. “All the Right Moves” may sound good at the outset, but one tires of it after a while. The line, “Hopelessly, I feel like there might be something that I miss,” embodies my thoughts of Waking Up almost perfectly; the +melodies really aren’t very engaging when compared to the likes of “Secrets”. When all is said and done, Waking Up is a CD that demands one’s attention. Though it has weaknesses in lyric and melody from time to time, the majority of the album’s composition is remarkable and noteworthy.