An all-female powerhouse trio has come into being, and their first release features a previously unreleased guitar riff from the late and great Jimi Hendrix.
Featuring guitarist Orianthi, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana and bassist Rhonda Smith, they are aptly going under the collective name The Power Of 3, and that Hendrix riff appears on their new single, ‘Taxi’, which is out now.
For those who’ve been living under a mushroom, the multi-platinum-selling Orianthi has played with the likes of Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, Carlos Santana, Steve Vai and Richie Sambora, and her latest solo album Some Kind Of Feeling reached #1 on the Official UK Blues Chart. Cindy Blackman Santana has played with Santana, Lenny Kravitz, Pharoah Sanders and John McLaughlin, some of whom appear on Coherence, her latest album fusing spiritual jazz, rock and improvisation. Rhonda Smith’s CV includes work with Prince, Jeff Beck, Beyoncé, Chaka Khan and other acclaimed artists.
The idea for the group came about some years back, when Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis encouraged Orianthi to assemble a power trio inspired by Hendrix’s legendary Band Of Gypsys. This brought together three musicians with a shared passion for pushing musical boundaries, who have so far performed twice at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and released one previous double single, ‘War In The Streets’, backed with ‘Treat Me Like A Lady’.
The Power Of 3 have a self-titled album already in the can and due for release on Friday 29th January 2027, and both their previous release and ‘Taxi’ have been taken from it.
‘Taxi’ came about thanks to the band’s longstanding relationship with the Hendrix estate. Orianthi and legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Kiss, The Rolling Stones) were granted access to the Hendrix archives, and while exploring the vault, Orianthi discovered a previously unreleased riff that immediately sparked her imagination.
Inspired by the recording, she brought the idea to Blackman Santana and Smith, and together the three musicians wrote ‘Taxi’, with Orianthi recreating Hendrix’s original riff and the trio building an entirely new song around it.
“Getting to hear something from Jimi that the world hasn’t heard before was pretty incredible,” said Orianthi. “The moment I heard that riff, I knew there was something special there and immediately started imagining what we could do with it.
“I brought it to Cindy and Rhonda, and we just took off from there. There’s something really powerful about the three of us creating something new around a piece of music from someone who has inspired us so much. It’s our way of honouring Jimi while making something that’s completely our own.”
With an initial hint of Hendrix’s ‘Crosstown Traffic’, The Power Of 3’s ‘Taxi’ soon switches to a road-running funk groove akin to Jeff Beck playing freestyle over The Bangles.
The Power Of 3 was also produced by Kramer and recorded entirely in analogue, and it features a special guest appearance from Carlos Santana. The album will be available through She2Music on CD, vinyl and digital, while ‘Taxi’ is out now on all streaming platforms.
