ORIANTHI
"Heaven in this Hell" (Robo
Records; 2013)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
Orianthi is a great guitar player. She first came to
notice as Michael Jackson's guitar player for his comeback tour, hand picked by
Jackson himself. Her fame has gone beyond. "Heaven in this Hell" is her third
disc. Her previous album, "Believe" was more hard rock than this one. "Heaven"
has a bluesy feel with more emphasis on her prowess as an all around musician.
She plays electric and acoustic evenly and her solos -- when she's plugged in --
are quite tasty. She also adds a country flavor to a few of her songs just to
show her vast talent.
Orianthi has played guitar for and with a lot of well-respected and recognized
musicians. At the time of this review, she is on tour with Alice Cooper - the
first female guitarist that he's ever had in his band. This disc was produced by
Dave Stewart, he is best know for his work with Eurythmics.
The disc ends with some solid rockers: "How Does That
Feel" starts slow but it has a great solo to punch it up; "Filthy Blues" is just
what you'd think it would sound like. It's got plenty of blues references about
drinking, love lost and feeling low.
Five of the songs on this album were previously released on Orianthi's first EP
"Fire" which was released in 2011.
For more information, check out:
http://www.orianthi.com and
http://www.facebook.com/Orianthi
"Believe" (Geffen; 2009)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
Any guitar player that lists Steve Vai as
an influence perks my ears. This is Orianthi's second disc and it was pushed
back to coincide with Michael Jackson's movie "This Is It." Of course, the movie
couldn't spawn the comeback tour that it promised but it did give Orianthi the
exposure that helped everybody recognize her guitar talent. She has a rock tone
with a bluesy sound. She sings with power and plays the gitfiddle with even more
gumption than some might have thought.
"According to You" was the song that really put her on the map. She hails from
Australia and started playing piano at age three and then gravitated toward the
guitar at age six. She has played on stage with some recognizable names such as
Steve Vai and Carlos Santana, and Orianthi has been named as the first female
guitar player for Alice Cooper.
Orianthi can rip on the guitar with blistering solos; she also has a great voice
so it’s a double shot of her amazing talent. Speaking of Steve Vai, he appears
on the song "Highly Strung" -- you can check out a vid of them exchanging
licks on YouTube. There were a whole bunch of people helping her out on this
disc but it's Orianthi's guitar playing that takes center stage. This disc
started with 11 tracks but it was re-released with seven more tracks. It was
called "Believe II."
For more information check out
http://www.orianthi.com and
http://www.facebook.com/Orianthi.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2021 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.