Kari Riihimäki (b. 1969) is a rock guitarist from the Finnish town of Turku, who already has two albums out with Doggtown - a group he founded in 2003 and has mainly been associated with for the past few years. Having spent years teaching guitar in schools and at workshops, Riihimäki has also maintained a busy schedule with acoustic duo shows and session work for a variety of Finnish recording artists.

'Seasons' is Kari Riihimäki's first full-length solo release, with all tracks composed by Riihimäki and producer Tuomo Vähä-Pesola, and lyrics provided by Riihimäki and Tepa Lepistö. Sound and style wise, the album is closest to late 60's and early 70's rock, bearing the influence of many giants of that era: Led Zeppelin, Cream, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. However, Riihimäki's personal idols have also included Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Gary Moore, Mark Knopfler, Robin Trower, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana and John Frusciante.

The album's lead vocals are handled by Jukka Lamminen, Esa Eloranta, Johnny Gustafsson, Pasi Laihonen, Tumppi Niemelä, and PJ Rautiainen, with Heta Halonen singing back-up on 'Breaking Down'. The recording band consists of top session players Harri Rantanen on bass and Anssi Nykänen on drums, and Tuomo Vähä-Pesola on keyboards. Riihimäki himself plays every guitar part on the record, with the exception of the slide solo on 'Crosswinds', contributed by Andres Roots from Estonia.

'Seasons' may have been long in the making, but rather than a collection of individual songs written over the years, it comes across as a compositional whole. While the record does combine a great number of influences, there's little recycling or reinterpretation here: the songwriting, style, and sound remain consistent and original throughout. 'Seasons' is a carefully produced guitar album that illustrates its makers' ideas about musicianship and music - and how carefully applied style and skill can add to the overall listening experience.