Nate Ruess

Lead singer from Fun., doing more anthemic pop music without his bandmates.  I had, in general terms, written off Fun. as lame after hearing their big hits 80 million times a few years back, but their set at ACL a few years ago was actually pretty damn fun.  High energy and a blast to see live. My favorite memory of the show was when they started playing "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and the majority of the crowd around me (likely none over 30) had zero clue what was going on.  The young lady next to me said something to her friend about "stupid new songs," which made me giggle.  And then last year, we had Bleachers at ACL, side project of the guitarist for Fun., which was also a surprisingly good show.  So I'd hate to bet against this guy's show, it ought to be just as good as those, but I can't say that his solo album is doing it for me.

That solo album, Grand Romantic, was release on June 16, 2015, with one single coming out earlier and getting some good play on the radio.  "Nothing Without Love," has just over 18 million plays on Spotify, so it is getting a good bit of play.

His voice is so different, but its a good thing.  You definitely don't mistake him for someone else when he is singing.  This one starts out bare bones, and then kicks in to a massive synth-and-kick-drum-driven, angels-choir-in-the-background blast of bombast.  Also adds in a good "Na Na Na, Na Na Na" section in the middle to get his festival crowds pumped up to sing along with.  It is a fine song, but its nothing anywhere near to the instant perfection of "We Are Young" or even the general goodness of "Some Nights" or "Carry On."  

His second and third most listened-to songs are similar expansive pop rock-outs, "Great Big Storm" and "AhHa," but the more interesting thing on this album to me is his collaboration with Beck, called "What This World is Coming To," which comes in at fourth place on Spotify with 766k listens.

I'd love to say that they had created a track that could have felt at home on Beck's Morning Phase, but unfortunately, this starts off sounding promising, and then turns more into an Eagles-esque soft-rocker with solid harmonies.

You may also recall the guy from other people's hits, like Pink's "Just Give Me a Reason," or Eminem's "Headlights."  But more than likely, you remember him from Fun.  Which still don't hold a candle to his work with Fun.  I doubt I'll go over and see him, although I may end up regretting skipping his show if it is anything like Fun. or Bleachers.