Fans don’t like it when musicians change. The hardest thing for a fan to accept is a musical change from a previous session. After thousands of spins of an album, the ear gets use to one set sound, one set pattern. Sometimes, a change is the last thing people want to deal with.

Such is the case with O.A.R. The college-born acoustic rock band complete with saxophone tries to follow in the steps of – say it with me – the Dave Matthews Band. After numerous albums featuring four chord barre progressions and nine-minute jams, the quintet tries something new.

“Heard the World” opens the album with a darker tone and overbearing acoustic guitar even frat boys can play along with. “Love and Memories” follows, offering a Bravery/Killers vibe with synth sounds and the album slowly offers promise.

But by the third track, “Wonderful Day,” the jam band is back in full swing and the sound continues with “Lay Down.” The band tries something new but is too afraid to stray from its roots. It continuously mixes old sounds with new sounds and the product comes off as a bit of a disappointment.

“Program Director” reeks of a bad Jason Mraz song and “Nasim Joon” is an attempted low-key ballad. Key word here being “attempted.” “Dakota” is an obvious tribute that comes almost 25 years too late.

In a time of new sounds emerging everywhere, O.A.R. needs to stick with one style and call it its own. Dare we suggest the four-chord progression which spans nine minutes and the saxophone solo