There's been a serious shortage of rockin' females in the music industry the past few years. Yes, you have someone like, say, Kelly Clarkson getting more in touch with her rocker roots or someone like P!nk who's making rock-ish music cool to play on mainstream radio again, but there's not been a new female artist with a guitar over her shoulder to make much impact in years. The dearth of female rock talent is so vast that the Grammys did away with the female rock vocal category, a sign that we really need a new artist to remind us of the butt kicking potential of a rockin' female.
Orianthi may just be the one to do that, at least in the short term. The Australian phenom was handpicked by Michael Jackson for his This is It tour and has shared the stage with some of music's greats. Releasing her debut album in October 2009, the 20-something has had a slow rise up the charts, thanks to the success of debut single According to You, an empowering anthem that soars with each choppy guitar lick. Coming from the School of Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne Kiss-Offs, it's full of attitude and a noticeable energy that simply explodes on the raucous hook. Think of this as the baby sister of Since U Been Gone with an additional guitar solo (the highlight of the album, to me) and a happy ending. Think Like a Man sheds some of the pop friendliness of According to You to create a foot tapping 80s-influenced metal-lite track that has some appreciated edge about it. Its amped up snarl is a good look on Orianthi; she may shine on poppier material, but give her some room to let loose and you get a supremely confident performance that gives more body to less than stellar lyricism. Untogether slows things down a lot and strips down the production, two things that are needed on a record that can sometimes be too slick for its own good. It's not as hook-heavy as some of the other material on the record, but that doesn't mean it's any less of a track; Orianthi's performance is a little softer, complementing the feathery guitar work, and helps to make this introspective break-up song that much more personal.
God Only Knows is a sobering 60s-influenced ode to loss and loneliness. It's a bit of a hushed way to end the album, but it's a well done, relatable piece of music that's not as manipulative as songs of its ilk. Orianthi may be doing her best Avril impression on the vocals (close your eyes and you really think it's her), but the song would be a crown jewel on any Lavigne album, Orianthi's genuine approach and honest lyricism besting most anything on the calculated collections of music that the Canadian has put out. Bad News sounds like something that I've heard before, but I can't seem to put my finger on it. The song isn't derivative or anything; it just favors something that I still can't figure out. It's a brooding uptempo with heavy drums and some intense guitar solos (it's the more guitar-heavy song on the record aside from the instrumental). Production-wise, it gets a little messy toward the end, but the instantly singable hook and Orianthi's strong vocal are enough to pull it through. Feels Like Home is the definition of a road song; concerning career evolution and finding your place in the world, it's a sunlit ballad with acoustic guitars and an amiable pace. It's a little more pensive than the average song on the record, a little more thoughtful in its approach. Usually, everything on here goes full throttle, but it's a bit more standoff-ish, a bit more introverted. It comes off very believable, as Orianthi's recent vault into fame was sudden, at least in America.
Orianthi's album isn't anything earth shattering, but it lays the groundwork nicely for future artistic evolution. Believe is a radio friendly, extremely slick collection of sky reaching hooks, blistering riffs, and fairly decent lyrics. You get a showcase for her guitar playing (including an instrumental that doesn't mess up the flow of the album), probably the one element that separates her from the other females who she has often been compared to. Her potential may be vast but we've not yet begun to see the true artist that Orianthi can be. Until the day where she makes a record that leans heavier on the artistry than the prospect of radio play, we'll have to make do with not bad but not excellent collections of music that would make even her contemporaries giddy with excitement.
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