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. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi

1		Contagious
2		Sinners Hymn
3		Rescue Me
4		Blow
5		Sorry
6		Crawling Out of the Dark
7		Impulsive
8		Streams of Consciousness
9		Company
10		Moonwalker