In many ways, violinist (and occasional wordless vocalist) Lindsey Stirling is a product of the 21st century. She was a contestant on a network talent show in 2010 and impressively grew her fanbase through viral music videos. But the Arizona native is also classically trained and knows the value of a strong melody. For various tracks here, she paired herself with different EDM producers (including Marko G, Poet Life, ASFHeeN, and FIXYN) and cowrote the songs with them. With another arrangement, the electronic dance number Electric Daisy Violin could convey the spirit of a Celtic jig. Crystallize places her expressive playing within a dubstep framework. Inspired by poet Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Song of the Caged Bird matches lively bowing with crisply programmed rhythms. For those wondering how she'd sound more traditionally, Elements (Orchestral Version) places Stirling firmly in Classical Crossover or film-soundtrack mode. - iTunes
