Many have heard of the up-and-coming band, R5, but may not know their background. R5 is a five member band made of four siblings, a family friend from California, drummer, Ellington Lee Ratliff. The rest of the band includes siblings, Riker Lynch, Rocky Lynch, Ross Lynch, and Rydel Lynch.
These four siblings were born and raised in Littleton, Colorado. They all attended a performing arts school, and they began using their talents at a very young age. The talents of the siblings have turned the heads of many important people in performing industries. The Lynch siblings have been involved in close to 100 different dancing, commercial, and theatrical projects. The group also has a varied fan base due to Riker’s role on glee and Ross’s new role on Disney Channel. In the fall of 2007, the family moved to Los Angles where their lives would soon be given a new path to follow.
This pop/rock band was formed in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles, California. Since its formation the band has completed one full album, Louder. The album includes four songs from their previous EP plus seven completely new songs. “Louder” was released on September, 2013, and it has received its fair share of compliments from fans. With only one album, R5 is a relatively new band. They are still working to reach their goal of acquiring a major label recording contract.
Personally, R5 is not my style of music. However, they do have an original sound. I can definitely see how people with R5’s taste in music find them very talented. R5 can lock you in to their music with songs like ‘Forget About You’, which features some interesting lyrics and a catchy beat, ‘Pass Me By’, which incorporates acoustic guitar in the start of the track, and ‘Love Me Like That’, where the bass thumps extra hard, making it hard to keep from moving your head with the beat. The talent shows clearly through the bands creativity and originality however, in my opinion, a flaw that I find is that their songs tend to sound similar to each other. Also, I am not a fan of the voice of the lead singer, Ross Lynch.
Some even believe that R5 might be purposely trying to mimic the sound of the very popular young group, One Direction. One reviewer writes, “The fresh-faced kids in R5 quite obviously have their sights set on picking off some of One Direction’s fan base. Any discerning 11-year-old should be able to take one listen to group’s debut and hear the similarities. The question then becomes ‘Do they have what it takes to measure up to the mighty 1D?”
There are many views of the band, good and bad. Is their sound original or are they copying the sounds of other bands? Are they worthy of all the compliments and attention they are receiving for their talent? Are they as good as what others have said? The only way to answer these questions is to research and listen for yourself. Go listen to the band R5 and create your own opinion.
Music and photos courtesy of gomoxie.org
