【題目】Although Zhang Bichen, a 25-year-old songstress with a powerful yet delicate voice, took the crown of this year’s The Voice of China, runner-up Parhat Halik, 32, seems to have impressed more of the audience with his husky(沙啞的), natural and, most of all, distinguished sound.
Despite his unmistakable voice, Parhat Halik’s music is also special. Generally, it’s rock — but influenced and mixed by different styles within the genre. Read on and find out where Halik’s music gets its inspiration.
Blues rock
Representative artists: Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, John Maye
Blues rock combines improvisation (即興創(chuàng)作) with rock ’n’ roll style. It began to develop in the mid-1960s in Britain and the US, when rock bands such as the Rolling Stones experimented with music from older African-American blues musicians. It borrows the idea of instrumental combo（小型樂隊(duì)）from blues but is played at a faster tempo and louder volume, distinguishing it from the blues. The sound is created with the electric guitar, piano, bass and drums.
As the root for several contemporary rock styles, such as heavy metal and hard rock, blues rock had a rebirth in the early 2000s, with artists including John Mayer and The Black Keys.
Folk rock
Representative artists: Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds
As the name indicates, folk rock is a genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. Also developed in the mid-1960s, folk rock was pioneered by the US band The Byrds, who began playing traditional folk music and Bob Dylan-penned material with rock instruments, in a style heavily influenced by The Beatles and other British bands.
The genre was most popular among teenagers and college students at the time, because it includes both rock ’n’ roll’s free spirit and the more serious, culturally authentic and socially aware sounds of folk music.
Soft rock
Representative artists: Bryan Adams, Eagles, Elton John, James Blunt
Compared to hard rock’s loud and aggressive nature, soft rock, or light rock, uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer and less threatening sound. Derived from folk rock, it uses acoustic instruments（原聲樂器）and puts more emphasis on melody and harmony.
Although the genre gets quite a bad name among hardcore rock fans, who see it as “wimpy”(軟弱無力), it doesn’t mean soft rock is without merit (優(yōu)點(diǎn)). Soft rock songs often deal with themes like romantic relationships and everyday life in a thoughtful and complex way hard rock simply couldn’t.
【1】Which of the artists playing traditional folk music and Bob Dylan-penned material with rock instruments first?
A. The Beatles. B. The Byrds
C. Eagles. D. Guns N’ Roses.
【2】We can learn from the passage that ______________.
A. the Rolling Stones ignored African-American musicians’ work
B. soft rock focus more on melody and culture awareness
C. blues rock gained a second birth in the 2000s
D. all the three rock styles developed in America
【3】What is hardcore rock fans’ attitude towards soft rock?
A. They quite admire it.
B. They can hardly tolerate it.
C. They are indifferent to it.
D. They misunderstand it.
【4】What’s the main purpose of the text?
A. To help readers become rock ’n’ roll artists
B. To inform the readers of the result of The Voice of China
C. To introduce some common rock music to the readers
D. To offer the readers some suggestions of composing rock music
