Truly Shinoda, truly rap!

In the years with Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda has received a lot of recognition but how will he manage on his own album?

The Rising Tied album can simply be said as 100% Shinoda and not Linkin Park, simply because their music is different. It's rap here, and it's a good quality rap, although people who liked Linkin Park and not too much into rap may dislike this album. First time I heard it, I still got Linkin Park in my mind and I would only give it a 3. But after listening to this times and times again, 4.5 would be the score for this Rising Tied album.

My personal best song of this album is "Where'd You Go". I cried many times while listening to this song, and the chorus part really engraves in to my mind, because when you heard it, you know that this is truly a song that was sang wholeheartedly, and the feeling of the song can get right to your soul through your ears. And you can really get an imagination of someone coming at home and finding it was empty with no one in there, and then that someone sang the "Where'd You Go" chorus. Such was the power of that song for me.

The other songs like "Remember The Name" and "Believe Me" are good, but nothing too special for me. So in the end, I would recommend this album very highly to those who like rap music, but for those fans of Linkin Park, even though Shinoda is the mastermind of this album, this is not your kind of Linkin music, so you might not like it too much, unless you're willing to try a new dimension of music you might never heard before.

Posted: 23-Feb-2006 09:03:29 PM

Classy Piano Instrumentals

If you like to hear piano instrumentals then this artist would satisfy you. His performances have a classic touch to it, which makes it very classy in the end. He also have a broad range of moods in his performances, from the sorrowful "Solace" to the more lighthearted "Fantasy Impromptu" so the choice of music to listen is definitely there for the listeners. I would recommend this to everyone who likes classics and piano with a light touch, without it being too heavy like other New Age performances and the major classical performances like those of Bach and Hendel.

Personally I enjoy listening to "Solace" most because of the sorrowful and deep feeling attached to it, makes it a great listen for those who are feeling a little bit mellow or is in a sentimental mood.

Posted: 25-Feb-2006 08:53:02 AM