Hinder - And rock came back to life. Thank goodness!

"Honey why are you calling me so late
It's kinda hard to talk right now
Honey why are you crying is everything okay
I gotta whisper 'cause I can't be too loud
Well, my girl's in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you
I guessed we never really moved on
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel...."

Part of the lyrics from Oklohoma's vey own Hinder hit - Lips of an Angel which is receiving good response in the airwaves now. Lead by charismatic leadman, Austin Winkler, Hinder is aiming at bringing rock back to life. Honsetly, we need it. Enough showboaters. It's about time someone did something about it. And I gotta hand it to these five lads...they actually took a personal loan just to record their stuff. Talk about dedication!

Fans of bands like Default, Seether, and Buckcherry would probably be receptive towards Hinder's offerings which was released 2 days ago on 27 September 2006 under the Universal label. Notable tracks are Get Stoned, Room 21, and my personal favourite Lips of an Angel.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Ryan Hui follows father's footsteps

Son of Sam (Sam Hui that is) , Ryan Hui is out with his solo album entitled RYANEP. Now, what really got me interested into reviewing this lad was actually his japanase sleeve tatoo (saw it in a magazine) so I figured, we hardly see canto singers with exposed tats, so why not review Ryan). His EP was released 10 August 2006 and he's currently doing shows around Hong Kong, more details can be found at his site: www.ryanhuimusic.com.

Well, from what I've listened - In My Mind is mind blowing in a sense that it has that Greenday like riff and melody. You know, the muted riffs in verses and full fledged distortion guitarworks in the Chorus. If you ask me, it's got that Western touch to it.

On Her Own is a little mainstream, ballad-like number. I won't be surprised if this is already a favourite. Nice violins at the background. But somehow, the energy of Ryan's voice can't be felt.

Another number - Black Clouds... I like the indie feel to it. Sounds a little Taking Back Sunday woithout the screams.

All in all, pretty good stuff.

My Rating 5/10

OneRepublic. Ever heard of 'em?

I was doing a search on some bands and I came across this wonderful track which had a beautiful riff and warm lyrics. It was from a band called OneRepublic and the track's called Mercy and starts of like this:

"Angel of Mercy, how did you find me? Where did you read my story? Pull from the paper, desperate and hardened, seeking a momentary fix"

Now how would lyrics like that not stop your curiosity of listening on, especially when it's got great music backing it. So I carried on listening to this band's other tracks - All We Are, Apologize, Goodby Apathy, and Stop and Stare. Most of them were beautiful, simply beautiful. They were songs of hope, frustration and despair.

Fans of U2, The Fray, and Keane would probably love the sounds of OneRepublic. Check 'em out at http://www.myspace.com/onerepublic. Lyrically, I love them. But I don't really see them being as big as U2.

Cheers!

Ryan "the darkhorse" Star - Supernova will regret kicking him off

Supernova said he was the most evolved talent on the show but yet they kicked him off? I was devistated when they eliminated Ryan Star. It was a ridiculous call. If you asked me who should not still be there, it's Lukas. Man, he's goth material, not Supernova-like! Ryan's such a talented songwriter/musician/singer. I became a fan of him immediately when I heard his phenomenal performance of R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion. The video clip is at the right side of this page. Just click on it to watch.

So be it. Let Supernova make a mistake. Ryan's already departed from his band, Stage (Maverick Records) and since then pursue his solo career. And he's got some good stuff that will definitely capture the ears and hearts of fans which listen to Coldplay, Fiona Apple, and Ben Folds just to name a few to describe his genre. He's already been rumoured to be soon touring with brit, Corrine Bailey Rae.

Ryan's career WILL sail smooth. He's already having his share of publicity in the industry - opening for Avril Lavigne and Gavin DeGraw, toured with Bon Jovi and Chevelle, and hit many headlines.

His debut album, Songs From The Eye of the Elephant is a burst of intense talent (more than one will ever expect from Supernova). He performed one of his originals on the show - Back of Your Car. A song about making love as the world was coming to an end. The concept itself speaks his creativity. It's such an emotional song and you can just feel every single word in your bones. So Ordinary is gonna be another hit for its beautiful lyrics and great melody. Losing your Memory will haunt its mellow tune. Watch out for the bridge on this song...it's so so so passionate!

Ryan.....you deserve more than just being in a rock band like Supernova. You deserve to take on the music world.

Album Rating: 7/10