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 , 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   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 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 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" , it doesn't mean soft rock is without merit  . Soft rock songs often deal with themes like romantic relationships and everyday life in a thoughtful and complex way hard rock simply couldn't. What is hardcore rock fans' attitude towards soft rock?
They quite admire it. They can hardly tolerate it. They are indifferent to it. They misunderstand it.