Ohemaa Mercy Brings Out Third Album
The urge to push the gospel of Jesus Christ through music still grips hard at Ohemaa Mercy and she has just come out with her third album titled Wobeye Kese.
It is a 16-track collection on the Big Ben Music label that shows off how matured the award-winning gospel artiste has grown since 2005 when she released her debut album, Adamfo Pa.
Ohemaa appears to have decided to offer the public new material after every two years because she brought out Edin Jesus in 2007 after the debut and here she is now with Wobeye Kese.
The album title itself seems to reflect Ohemaa's own rise from an unknown, humble school teacher in Koforidua to a nationally-acclaimed artiste whose music enjoys a fair amount of popularity as well in the sub-region.
Recorded by a pool of engineers including Nacy and George Forest, Wobeye Kese draws on a lot of catchy contemporary rhythmic patterns with experienced instrumentalists like guitarist Akablay and trumpeter Osei Tutu bringing different delightful grooves to the tracks.
The essence of the whole work is, however, to lift up God and tell of His eternal goodness and lyrics in the entire collection point in that direction. Ohemaa wrote most of the songs and through pieces like Aseda, Yesu Nim Wo, Yesu Mogya and Se Obinim, she encouraged the depressed and down- hearted to keep trusting in God.
For the first time, she tackles a song in English called You Are The Reason. Ohemaa says some of the people around her felt she had demonstrated on her previous albums that she had good command over singing in Twi and she must stick to that but she felt otherwise.
“I had the opportunity to sing in the United States and parts of Europe around the middle of this year and there were many who liked the music and wished they could understand a bit of what I was saying in the lyrics. I felt I must cater a bit for such people as well on this new album,” Ohemaa said to Showbiz.
Ohemaa came to public attention in 2005 with her first album which won her nominations in the Gospel Song of the Year, Gospel Artiste of the Year and Discovery of the Year categories at the 2006 Ghana Music Awards.
After the release of her second album in 2007, she was nominated in eight categories at the 2008 GMA and she managed to clinch the awards in the Gospel Artiste of the Year, Gospel Album of the Year and Album of the Year categories.
“I feel greatly blessed because I can compose and sing as well,” says Ohemaa who has stuck to her calm demeanour despite the popularity that has come her way.
“Though the previous albums did well and got a lot of people to appreciate me, I see this new one as a revelation of more of the musical qualities I'm endowed with.”