Personnel: Orianthi (guitar); Howard Benson (keyboards, programming); Josh Freese (drums); Michito S nchez (percussion).

Audio Mixers: Chris Lord-Alge; Andrew Schubert; Brad Townsend.

Photographer: Chapman Baehler.

With her mind-blowing mix of heavy metal guitar prowess and bluesy, soulful vocals, Orianthi will draw some justifiably well-earned comparisons to such giants of rock guitar as Jimi Hendrix and, her own idol, Carlos Santana. On her 2009 sophomore album, BELIEVE, her style hews closer to the finger-frenetic pyrotechnics of such '70s and '80s icons as Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. Throw in her ability to sell a lyric and carry a strong melodic vocal phrase while also throwing down some devastating slabs of heavy metal riffage, and she starts to look a lot like the fantasy love child of Prince and Lita Ford. What's even more delicious is how, at face value, BELIEVE fits nicely next to studio-crafted--albeit stylistically successful--albums by Disney teen rock acts like Ashley Tisdale, Demi Lovato, and Miley Cyrus, the difference being that while those pretend-rock teen divas get backed by studio musicians, Orianthi is the backing musician. She is the real deal and BELIEVE soars on her mighty metal talents. Before this album, Orianthi was best known as the guitar virtuoso picked to perform with Michael Jackson on his farewell tour before he passed in 2009, and after listening to BELIEVE, it's clear that Orianthi was not only well deserving of that accolade but that her abilities far outdistanced a role as a backing musician. For rock fans awaiting the return of seriously fun, seriously rocking pop-metal, this is it.

Entertainment Weekly (p.58) - "[This] 24-year-old guitar goddess evokes ax murderers from Angus Young to Eddie Van Halen to Jeff Beck..." -- Grade: B