ORIANTHI – “GHOST”

ORIANTHI – “GHOST”

With an all-star history that includes an almost historic run of shows with Michael Jackson and extensive collabs with icons like Alice Cooper, Dave Stewart and Richie Sambora, there’s no way Orianthi will ever outrun her glorious reputation as a shredder who takes the electric guitar to otherworldly levels. Longtime fans will always want to hear her work her emotionally charged magic, and those who have only casually heard about her history will want to hear what the fuss is all about. The point of her signing with Woodward Avenue Records was not to put those accolades behind her but to find a way to integrate her legendary talents on the guitar with her continued emergence as a heartfelt and soulful singer/songwriter sharing her longtime passion for organic, 60’s-70’s blues-rock sound.

On her debut label single “First Time Blues” (which featured her in a dual firepower match with fellow guitar great Joe Bonamassa) and even more now on her second release “Ghost,” Orianthi is making her mark as a multi-faceted artist who can create and inspire as much raw emotion as a singer and storyteller as she does with her axe. Her lyrics and vocal on the heartbreaking, soul-searing song are so compelling that listeners may not even notice that she doesn’t even introduce the electric guitar until a little over a minute in – and then only as subtle enhancement for the searing heartbreak she’s expressing vocally. It’s a slow building power ballad about the ongoing, painful, spiritual presence of a lost romantic partner.

As she posted on her Facebook page, “My new single #Ghost is about a love that didn’t last long, but the memories haunt every time you feel love again…thinking it will leave you out of nowhere. I guess we have all felt that…when you look back you realize all the signs were there but didn’t pay attention to intuition, which is our strongest life compass.”

Orianthi is not a gospel performer, but “Ghost” finds her taking us to church from the start so convincingly that we wouldn’t be surprised to see her incorporate more of that style into her future music. Using the seductive piano and slow simmering organ sounds of Michael Bearden’s keyboards as a foundation, she shares pure vulnerability as she brilliantly and poetically paints the sorrowful internal scene: “There’s love on my mind/But a war in my heart/Every thought of you tears me apart.” Rather than the guitar, on the first iteration of the incisive chorus (“Did you hold me hold me hold me/Like you’d never leave me leave me leave me”), she enhances her vocals with the small yet powerful choir of Sharlotte Gibson, Luke Edgemon and Maiya Sykes. It comes across like a painful prayer, addressing the lover who abandoned her but also crying out to God/The Universe with an eternal “Why?”

After a subtle guitar interlude, Orianthi eases into the second verse where she partially takes blame (“dug our own graves/broke each other’s hearts”) for the split but continues to suffer the consequences and literally cries out “God help me with what I’m gonna do.” On this verse, she enhances her sensually cool vocal with an undercurrent of electric guitar crackle – like she’s trying to hold it together before the feelings in her heart literally explode in a burst of fiery rage – some aimed at herself, some at the lover/leaver.

The second run of the chorus features the great gospel-style background vocals, this time underscored with more vibrant guitar expressions. Once she declares her need for closure “’cause I’m still living with your ghost,” all hell breaks loose and Orianthi unleashes the full power of her guitarisma. Perfectly reflecting the dynamics of the song, the last part has her quietly resigned to enduring lonely nights dreaming she’s still lying with him, followed by a final emphatic run through the hard questions of the chorus.

Considering the trademark blistering excitement that happens every time she picks up her guitar, it’s doubtful that Orianthi will ever record a full song without incorporating it. But the other elements of “Ghost” – the lyrics, keyboards, her raw voice, the gospel vibe and backing vocals– are so powerful here that, believe it or not, the song would impact us just as much even without that element. – Jonathan Widran  

“Ghost” - Orianthi

• Music & Lyrics by Orianthi and Jacob Bunton
• Orianthi - Guitar and Lead Vocal
• Michael Bearden – Keyboards, Roberto Vally – Bass, Tony Braunagel – Drums
• Sharlotte Gibson, Luke Edgemon & Maiya Sykes – Background Vocals
• Mixed by Kevin Shirly, Mastered by Don Bartley, Engineered by Alistair James
• Recorded at LOVE STREET SOUND, Glendale, CA
• Photo by Alex Brown, Artwork by James Silvera
• Executive Producer – Mark Nordman