For the one's that still don't know it (to those who are isolated from the rest of the world). Mike Shinoda made his debut solo album: Rising Tied. It's a rap album with lots of guest appearances from both MC's and Singers. The songs differ from rockish rap song to the standard formule rap songs, and there are also some experimental song on it. There are both weak and strong songs on it, it differ very much. But the majority is pretty standard.
The album sure has it's moments.
Kenji and
Slip Out The Back are some really catchy, yet melodic and emotional rap songs with deep meanings.
Red To Black is also a very nice song to relax with, although the song gets weaker after listening many times. The lyrics are very good thought of although sometimes the words are just too generic which also takes away the value of the song. The song has an awesome chorus, a Chester Bennington-like vocalist sings in it while a guitar takes the lead while it still stays in the background.
There are some songs that really make me agressive, not because the song itself is agressive, but because of the fact that there isn't a single enjoyable moment in the song.
Right Now is a perfect example of this. The song has the most irritating beat ever made in a hip-hop song. The guitar is very monotone, Mike Shinoda raps like he's whispering. Funny for one second but irritating for the rest of the song. The drummachine makes me crazy too, with an arabian like bass beat and an handclap that you can hear in 85% of the rap songs.
Petrified, the first single is also a good example of it. The synth beat is top notch annoying and goes on for the whole song. The lyrics are really generic, with Mike "introducing itself" on the most gangster-rap way you can think of. It's almost 50 cent! (normally I would say "no offense" but since I hate 50 cent most of the whole world I will call it offensive) The chorus is also a letdown, even compared to the song itself. With lots of uninspiring "yo's and come one" and things like that.
Luckily the other songs aren't that bad as those two above. However they are also not as enjoyable as
Kenji and
Slip Out The Back. The good point again is that most of the songs are pretty original. Some songs have a rock edge as a nice addition to the CD.
Believe Me is a song that could be easily used in a Linkin Park album. The chorus is sung very well (I'm not sure, but is it Chester Bennington singing it?) and flows perfectly with the couplets. Something weird is the bridge. A kind of conga(?) solo is set in there, but the solo is nothing more than a background beat with some very easy additions to it. The song that really suprised me was
High Road. The song starts with a piano loop that could be easily copied from a old-school rock band like Aerosmith or Led Zeppelin. The song has John Legend singing in it making it even more old school, and although the bridge is really a letdown the rest of the song is very interesting.
Cigarettes is a weird song. It lacks a steady beat but with the sound effects it sounds mysterious, making it better and more originial. The lyrics are well thought of, you can even hear Mike Shinoda hear the F-bomb. Pretty impressive for someone who hasn't said it in songs for years. Hearing the song reminds me of things like Area 51 or The Bermuda Triangle. It's mysterious, alien-orientated but very interesting. Another original song is
Where'd you go. It's a ballad-like rapsong about the worst side of touring. Missing your family... The chorus has a women (Holly Brook?) singing in it. It's a nice song but drags down later in the song as it stays the same through the whole song.
So what is with the rest of the album? Well, it's pretty generic.
In Stereo is a very heavy song but is not interesting enough to listen till the end.
Remember The Name is a very generic rap song, very cool though. It has some violins in the beat and Mike rapping some cool lyrics.
Feel Like Home has some really stupid lyrics and standard beat. There is not really a chorus in it, if there is one, it just not sounds as a chorus. In short, this song is basically a filler.
Back Home is very similar to
Feel Like Home, the song names are even almost the same. The difference is that
Back Home is raelly not a filler, it's not outstanding either but it's not bad. The chorus has a nice flow and the couplets are, besides the fact that they're boring after few listens, also cool. The skits and introduction are also nice. The intro, named
Introduction, is very disturbed with some synths and a spoken word in it. There are some marching sounds in it.
Get Me Gone is stupid and funny at the same time. Mike talks about a person that wanted Mike not to rap in LP and FM. It's almost a real songs save for the fact that it's just 1:56 long. The last between-2-songs-track is
The Battle. It has Celph Titled freestyling (If that's the right word) in it. A nice thing is that the song goes perfectly into the final song, the epic
Slip Out The Back.
If you like Linkin Park you will both be suprised and disappointed. Almost all the LP elements are gone, but Mike is improved with his lyrics and rapping speed. He even drops F-bombs or B-bombs (B*tch) in the songs. He has never done that before. I suggest to download some songs first before buying it.
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1. Introduction 7.5/10
2. Remember the Name 7/10
3. Right Now 1/10
4. Petrified 1.5/10
5. Feel Like Home 6/10
6. Where'd You Go 7.5/10
7. In Stereo 6/10
8. Back Home 7.5/10
9. Cigarettes 9.5/10
10. Believe Me 8.5/10
11. Get Me Gone 8/10
12. High Road 9/10
13. Kenji 10/10
14. Red to Black 9.5/10
15. Battle 6.5/10
16. Slip Out the Back 10/10
A 3.5/5!!!!!!!!
