Agree. there are different kinds of music listeners though.

There are people who are more vocal/lyric oriented.
U have people who are about the beat and the music
then u got all around listeners that take everything in etc.

I am the latter.

Now if u are someone who just loves great lyrics,vocals,melodies etc. These songs are fantastic even compared to the old, lyrically, vocally, they are right there for the most part.

whats lacking is music.  I've seen some tabs for the leaks and the guitar parts minus the shredding are just ridiculously plain,bland and easy.

I was listening to my running mix again today while running and I was determined to put my finger on what exactly is wrong with the leaks.

I heard Message For You/track2 again and Estranged popped on afterwards.

With Estranged, u have so many changes, so much diversity in the music, amazing guitar fills and solos, the vocal melodies change, the style of singing changes, u have stops, u have breaks, tempo changes, the song builds..... it is epic wit so much greatness.

Message For You, weak horrible intro, piano music with simple guitar lines and orchestration thats pretty  much the same throughout followed by a solo that I like to call the CC Deville.

If u ever listen to Poison, CC is a one trick pony guitar player, he never serves a song he simply uses the solo to show off his wammy bar and speed but it ruins the tone/mood of the song.

With Track 2, the solo just doesnt fit the song and the song is the same tempo,feel, vocal, chord progression throughout.

Its almost like GNR recorded hours and hours of music and Axl went I like that on recording 22, lets paste that with recording 56 and make it work.
the songs just aren't very cohesive and they just aren't diverse like the old school stuff was.

Its like i hear people goin on about TWAT and its solo......... honestly, that solo is maybe and I do mean Maybe on par with the So Fine solo or something but if u really listen to old GNR and TWAT mixed in with old GNR, u would see that solo comes close but just falls short of truly delivering.

Yeah, one argument I always field at HTGTH is:

"What has Slash done since leaving GNR"

And u know, it makes me sound Anti Axl and like a hater, but I have to ask them: "What the fuck has Axl done since Slash left"

I think people talk shit about Slash without knowing all the facts. U ARE GUNS N FUCKING ROSES and yet your singer wants to BE like other people.  Slash I think was/is way more secure with what he does,who he is and the style of music he makes whereas Axl wants to be Trent Reznor or some shit but the thing is, Trent can't come close to Axl.

I think Axl doesn't have a lot of confidence and he forgets just who the fuck he is. when u are as big as Axl Rose, u dont try to copy and do other people's styles of music. I havent heard any leak that doesn't sound like a rip of another Genre of music.

I love Shacklers but u can fucking sing Thunderkiss 65 or whatever that song is called over the music etc.

^
oustanding post!

Its like I'll listen to a boot and I'll be all into etc, like SCOM or NR for example and then u hear a bunch of  just sour notes and it kills the whole mood.

The leaks. Better............ God I hate that fucking song, IRS, Chinese Democracy, Rhiad, The Blues.... I personally never care to hear these songs again.

Message For You definitely hasnt had the staying power I thought it would.

Shacklers is amazing. I let my brother hear it and he is what u'd call casual, he only knows the hits and he fucking loves Shacklers. 

Really the only songs of the leaks, I find that I dont tire of are Shackler's and Madagascar.  the rest, after about 2 weeks, I just dont have a lot of desire to pop them in.

I was listening to a mix today while running, and the leaks came on between Coma and Estranged and yeah.................. Im not wanting to start a big this vs that debate. But the difference was pretty easy to tell for me quality wise.