Many critics cited U2, Coldplay, The Fray, Muse and Snow Patrol as the band's influences on the album and commended the band for having a "tremendous confidence apparent in the craft of creating pleasing music", but others felt it was an unoriginal album and thought that Tedder continued to make pop rock far better whenever he was writing for groups other than his own, and also noted that it was difficult to distinguish the differences between some tracks and their influences.

The band, which was formed in Colorado by Ryan Tedder and high school classmate Zach Filkins, also includes fellow Coloradan, guitarist/keyboardist Drew Brown, drummer Eddie Fisher, and bass/cellist Brent Kutzle.

Two months before their album was due to be released (with "Sleep" as their debut single) in the summer of 2006, they were dropped by Columbia Records.

[citation needed] With chopped-up, choir-like vocals, Tedder launch a rock ballad that's filled with rising crescendos and interesting musical textures.

[2] "Stop and Stare" is a big, muscular rock ballad, which according to Digital Spy is "very much in the Matchbox 20 mould", steered by a vein-poppingly emotional vocal from lead singer Ryan Tedder.

It has hip-hop beats mingling with a string section[7] cutting Ryan Tedder's bland vocals with a stuttering R&B drum loop.

[citation needed] The seventh track "Tyrant" crank up the rock guitars, letting a little bit of angst bleed through the band's performance.

[2] It is a ballad compared to Turin Brakes’ classic The Optimist LP, replete with strings, bells, and harmonized vocals.

None of this made Dreaming Out Loud a bad album, particularly, but it did make it an unoriginal one, and Tedder continued to fare better whenever he was writing for groups other than his own.

"[1] Blogcritics wrote a very positive review, stating that "Dreaming Out Loud is full of hopeful ballads and a couple of rock songs, and reveals OneRepublic's vocal and musical talents.

"[2] Evan Sawdey from PopMatters wrote: "Though Greg Wells' high-budget production gives Dreaming Out Loud a professional sheen, the problems start and end with Tedder.

"[7] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone commented: "On the album, OneRepublic get to assert their own identity, which is a drag, since the half-loud guitars and sob-in-the-throat vocals could be absolutely anybody.

"[6] Chris Jones from BBC Music expressed: "It remains an album that will appeal to fans of the OC and those moments when the lovelorn antics of the cast demand some cod-existentialism.

"Come Home", a digital single, was remastered featuring Sara Bareilles[10] and was released on July 14, 2009, in the iTunes stores and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #80.

[21] "Apologize", alongside "Stop and Stare" and "Mercy", were featured on the seventh season of the American television series Smallville.