various music critics. Henry Adaso from About.com praised Shinoda's efforts for straying from familiar themes of hip hop music, stating that he "manages to freeze the genre’s finest moment without yielding to rap album stereotypes." Greg Dona of AbsolutePunk said that Shinoda proved himself as a rapper and as a producer "in convincing fashion" through The Rising Tied. A reviewer of HipHopDX echoed similar sentiments, saying that Shinoda brought "a fresh hip hop sound to a wide audience of listeners, and he did it with an album that is not only better than most LP's from "real rappers" but with much more passion and dedication." David Jeffries of Allmusic commented that the album was a "surprisingly personal project that sometimes puts the listeners right in Shinoda's shoes." Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone noted that the album has "plenty of humanist appeal" that "translate Linkin Park's stylized angst into sleek boom-bap, complete with agitated pop choruses and deft instrumental ornamentation." A music critic of the Montgomery Advertiser affirmed that The Rising Tied is "a ruminative, sonically fried record as dense and darkly emotional - without pretense - as anything nu metal has thrown up." An editor for The Herald Sun hailed the record as "consistently gripping and surprisingly fun." Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times felt that The Rising Tied was "a proper (though not very good) hip hop album", although he defined it as "a tacit reminder that hip-hop isn't merely a musical genre; it's also an identity." IGN music reviewer Spence D. felt mixed with the album's production and arrangement, although he praised Shinoda's vocals and that there are "some genuine moments of surprise and swiftness proving that regardless of his ongoing rock affiliation, Shinoda is a true rap fan and not just some bandwagon buster." Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian felt that Shinoda's "earnest, methodical rapping may be effortlessly outclassed by guest stars...but he bolsters it with sulky, darkly metallic beats that sound like Dr. Dre crossed with Depeche Mode." An editor for The Detroit News praised Shinoda's production and the album's featured artists, although he called Shinoda's vocals "lackluster," yet "slightly above K-Fed status." A music critic for The Los Angeles Times said Shinoda "sounds like a suburban b-boy, amiable and sensitive but not charismatic or colorful." A reviewer from Oracle Online thought the album was "important" despite the fact that it "won’t challenge hip-hop heavyweight