I'm not the biggest fan of repackaged albums. They've been done a hell of a lot and encourage fans to pay full album price all over again for a sprinkling of new tunes and a recoloured piece of artwork. The release of an EP would, in my mind be better suited. But who buys EPs these days?
OneRepublic are one of the latest artists to get onboard with the idea, adding three new original songs, a handful of acoustics and a remix to the 'Native' record - which was already a great collection of tunes.
First new song 'Love Runs Out' is planted as the second song on the LP and may sound familiar - that's because it's steadily picking up heavy radio play and has featured on The X Factor's first full-length advertisement for 2014's series - the most expensive advertisement in X Factor's history.
It's a great tune that begins with the army-like sounds of stomping and thumping before keyboard comes in and introduces Ryan Tedder's incomparable vocals aside the remaining OneRepublic members supporting with both instrumental and backing vocals.
Then we wait until the end of the standard edition record to find out just what's on offer that's so unique this time around. 'Something's Gotta Give' is a slower song that on first listen didn't take my breath away - the production is too choppy for me to enjoy and the vocals seem drawn out for just a couple of seconds too long.
Luckily, 'Life In Color' is a much more exhiliarating and happier affair. Celebrating life is a subject matter that's included in a lot of pop anthems, but this one has exactly what it takes to stand out with fantastic writing, melodies and upbeat rhythms before an abrupt ending that leads into the acoustics.
Giving the group the chance to really shine, there's not much to pick between the studio and live versions. Acoustics are great examples of what a singer or group can really do and here they prove why they've had such an extensive career to-date, and look set to carry that journey on for quite some time going forward.
OneRepublic's 'Native' repackaged edition is out now.
Tagged in OneRepublic