Orianthi - Fire

I've never been a muso. Never been the type to swoon at a guitar solo.
The thing for me is the full package. The whole shebang as it were.
I want to be able to hear a band play with all the pieces falling into place to create something that hits you in the gut on an emotional level. That's my thing.
So that being the case it's unusual for me to gravitate towards picking up anything from guitar heroes, or even heroines.
Occasionally I will however make an exception, and after seeing Orianthi Panagaris rip it up as part of Alice Coopers band I thought I should delve into her own material and picked up the latest mini album she has released, called 'Fire', to see how that matched up to her hired gun status.
I'm glad I did because any preconceived ideas that I had that it was going to be a fret fingering orgasm of guitar masturbation were dashed within minutes of listening to the first song.
Instead what we get is an accomplished mini album of timeless rock ballads that would easily turn the heads of those who are hooked on the softer side of rock music.
They guitar work is exemplary, but it's not so in your face that it overshadows the songs. Instead it solidly accompanies the phrasing and emotional peaks and troughs of the material. Nicely balanced is what it is.
The vocals are what really grabbed me though. They caught me completely off guard as within the framework of Alice Coopers band they don't really get an airing, but maybe they should.
The surprising thing - to me - is that Orianthi isn't just a guitarist that can carry a tune, but a fully fledged rock and roll vocalist to.
It's as if all the best bits of the eighties female fronted rock acts have been dragged into the present and given a bit of a make over.......and it works.
It would be fair to say that the future for Orianthi is wide open as she very obviously has the ability and talent to make whatever dreams she has a reality.