Mixing styles of music is a dubious proposition and often produces uneven results, especially when it comes to mixing hip-hop with any type of rock. Artists who do so run the risk of coming across as wanting to be all things to all people. On Grain of Sand, however, Lynx borrows heavily from traditions in hip-hop, folk, jazz and funk to produce something else entirely. Her tasteful employment of electronic sounds beautifully accents her rhythm-oriented songwriting, lending her work a subtle atmosphere that immediately separates Lynx from her singer-songwriter peers. While she uses various soundscaping elements to great effect, it's particularly cool the way she intersperses record scratching in a couple of songs. Unless you've seen her live, you might never guess that she's actually making those sounds organically, as she switches effortlessly between generating them and singing. This album may be titled Grain of Sand, but with music this inventive, Lynx is destined for greater things.