Indonesian singer Raisa’s third album is a sprawling collection of love songs.
Raisa, who wrote a majority of the album’s 10 songs, is a lot more involved in the making of the album this time around, which explains the title, Handmade.
The album opens with current single Kali Kedua, an emotionally-charged love song about cherishing a lover even more after losing him or her before.
Raisa’s tender vocals gently caressing Jatuh Cinta, a simple guitar-driven number about admiring someone, is another highlight in Handmade.
Still, the best moment of the album arrives with Percayalah where she teams up with Indonesian male vocalist Afgan. Listening to the two singers deliver the ballad about a couple promising their unending love to each other is breathtaking.
I had chills running down my spine when Raisa and Afgan blend their voices together; the two have this silky smooth, honeyed vocals which complements each other.
Nyawa Dan Harapan is another track worth noting. It’s not a love song, but features a meaningful message about the state of humanity today. Besides giving us serious ballads, Handmade has a couple of lighter moments too. Love You Longer, for instance, is a catchy, breezy English number with strong pop and R&B leanings. Generally, Handmade doesn’t veer much from the direction of her previous works. Those love ballads are still there – in fact, there’s more of them, which isn’t a bad thing.
Raisa
Handmade
(Juni Records)
