Ryan Tedder, of OneRepublic, reportedly spent the weekend with Cheryl Cole, working on songs that the X Factor judge hopes will launch her in the US. Having written for everyone from Beyonc? to James Morrison, the singer from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is as famous for his seemingly bottomless pit of catchy hits as he is for fronting his own band.
Certainly, Tedder is a more talented writer than rock star, though he put admirable effort into trying to convince the Scala crowd otherwise. Switching between a pair of keyboards in a large, silver case centre stage, acoustic guitar and a tambourine, he thumped on his chest for the opener Everybody Loves Me. He had the moves of a seasoned star, standing arms aloft on the drum riser, crouching on the floor in front of fans and bouncing Tigger-like from side to side.
Yet even Cole could have spotted that something was missing. Ah yes, the X factor. When Tedder talked, he seemed like a lovely bloke. When he sang, notably his falsetto parts on the hit Apologize and a stand-out Stop and Stare, he was above average. Yet despite the huge pop hooks on which choruses were hung, some smart song arrangements and a band that included a glockenspiel-playing guitarist, a violinist and a bloke sawing at an electric cello, excitement was thin on the ground.
Tedder didn’t help himself with an unflattering outfit of waistcoat buttoned over a protruding belly, skintight jeans, a tiny pork pie hat and hobnail boots so pointy-toed that they could have belonged to a clown. But it was clearly his lack of charisma that let the show down. The stage was beautifully set, with coloured fairy lights strung around DIY artwork,and even songs from OneRepublic’s second album, Waking Up, released this week, felt familiar.
Advertisement
One song succinctly summed up the show — a so-so cover of Tears For Fears’ Shout. When a man who has pop hits flowing from his fingers has to rely on a cover to get the crowd going, it may be time to admit defeat.