The AllMusicGuide adds. . .
Following several years of touring alongside former Bon Jovi guitarist
Richie Sambora, Orianthi returns to her solo work with her fourth
full-length, 2020's O. Produced with Marti Fredriksen, O is Orianthi's
first album for Italy's rock-centric Frontiers Records label and
fittingly finds the Australian guitarist and singer digging into a
heavy, hard rock- and metal-influenced sound. While there is certainly
a hefty amount of old-school analog grit to much of the album, O also
features an equal amount of contemporary pop sheen throughout. It's a
stylistic combination that brings to mind Orianthi's most famous
employer, the late Michael Jackson, with whom she worked and rehearsed
just prior to his death in 2009. Since that time, Orianthi has carved
out her own niche as an adept soloist and performer, drawing
inspiration from her early mentors, including Carlos Santana and Steve
Vai, as well as other idols like Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Cuts
like the opening "Contagious" and "Sinners Hymn" are bluesy, riff-
heavy songs that evoke the heyday of late-'80s hard rock. Equally
evocative is "Sorry," which sounds pleasingly like an Alanis
Morissette song if produced by Prince. We also get the infectious
anthem "Impulsive" with its buzzy Mötley Crüe-sounding groove.
Although lip-curling fretboard swagger is Orianthi's core sound, there
are softer moments, including the acoustic ballad "Crawling Out of the
Dark," in which she ruminates on overcoming a toxic relationship.
While Orianthi's fiery chops are on display throughout O, the album is
a well-rounded musical portrait, revealing her continued reputation as
a torchbearer for the kind of impassioned pop/rock music that
initially inspired her to pick up the guitar.
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