Album Notes

Akhirnya... is the first solo release of Indonesian singer and songwriter - Rita Lestariani. Born and raised in Banten, Indonesia, Rita has over the course of the last six years, Rita has traveled the length and width of Indonesia and other parts of Asia and the Middle East singing in small town bars and big city clubs and learning of life, love and music along the way. She is currently singing and touring with multi-platinum selling band COKELAT on their recent tour of various venues all over Indonesia. Whether it be in small town bars or huge stadiums, Rita's voice has the astonishing ability to stop a crowd in its tracks and make them sit down and take notice.

Akhirnya... is the beginning of a new chapter in Rita's singing career . This album is a collaborative work which took shape on the beautiful beaches of Bali in early 2005 when Rita and her musician-producer friend Amith Narayan (the Unseen Guest) were vacationing in Kuta. Somewhere in between the endless sun and the late night jam sessions, Rita and Amith hatched a plan of combining Amith's international production experience and unique concepts with Rita's striking voice and lyrical styling. Over the course of six grueling months in the studios of Singapore, Rita and Amith succeeded in making their Balinese dream a reality.

Akhirnya... primarily an acoustic album with just the essential touches of electric sounds, combines the best aspects of Indonesian and Western pop and rock music in a way that would easily appeal to the Indonesian listener and even an eclectic international audience. It incorporates with ease a multitude of diverse musical genres, with tracks that range from jazzy pop numbers to sweet, melodic ballads and from worldly bossanova beats to straight-out rock standards. In Lestariana, Rita muses to a funky groove about respect and appreciation for her twin sister (also a singer). The themes of love and friendship make appearances in the catchy pop-rock tunes Ku raih, Sahabat, Hasrat and Pop Song. Rita even takes on a little bit of blues with guest musician Curtis King (the Curtis King Band) on the blues harmonica in Ilusi. With such a diversity of influences, Akhirnya...creates a sound which is timeless, truly inspired and entirely original. It melds classic and modern worldly sounds in a way that is both gripping and mesmerizing. Through each of its 10 tracks, Akhirnya... invites its listeners on a magic carpet ride into the soul of its singer and songwriter with a voice that simply cannot go unnoticed!

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THE MUSICIANS

Rita Lestariani - lead & harmony vocals
Amith Narayan - acoustic & electric guitars
David D'aranjo - bass guitar
Saravanan Siva - drums & percussion
Rully Madewa - keyboards on sahabat, the pop song & ilusi
Curtis King - harmonica on ilusi

Produced by Amith Narayan
All songs written by Rita Lestariani and Amith Narayan
Lyrics by Rita Lestariani