Alabaster Box releases Branded T-Shirts
Ghana's most exciting internationally acclaimed gospel afroppella quartet, the Alabaster Box is gearing up to inject even more excitement into the local gospel music domain this year.
Ahead of the release of their new album later this year, the group has released branded T-shirts to be given to their fans and well-wishers as a form of consolation for the four long years they had to wait to see the release of something new from the group.
The T-shirts come in four colours - black, white, gray and coffee - and with two different designs; one with a photo of the quartet with the inscription “BREAK DA BOX” on the front and the group's logo at the top back, and the other with the group's logo on the front and selected adinkra symbols at the top back.
Group leader Sammy Dowuona told Beatwaves in a chat that the T-shirts, designed and printed by Blazing Gear, are but the first of three new releases from the group this year.
Since the release of their 14-track album, Unto the King in 2004, the group has been globe-trotting representing faith and country on the international scene, but Sammy says the group has set the second half of this year aside to release a series of new things for local fans.
The group, he indicated, would also release Alabaster Box branded calendars for 2009 in addition to the T-shirts and the new album, adding that the group's revamped website www.alabasterboxx.com http://www.alabasterboxx.com would also be re-launched to introduce the new member of the group, Michael Allotey, younger brother of Gideon Allotey, the bass singer.
On the forthcoming album, Sammy indicated that the title track would be 'Level Don Change' in typical Nigerian pidgin English, which means higher level or another level.
Sammy said the group chose that as the title track in recognition of how God had lifted the group from one level to the other with every passing year.
“Every single challenge we have come through over the past 13 years of our existence has been a stepping stone for God to lift us to a higher level in our ministry so we sing Level Don Change in recognition of God's goodness,” he intimated.
The group is currently working on the third and new 14-track album at Danoli Studios at Osu. The album has newly composed songs and some existing classical gospel and inspirational tunes also.
The album would feature the acappella version of some old and new inspirational gospel songs such as Noble Nketiah's “Bebre” and Mary Ghansah's “Yen Agya Owo Sro”.
It also has songs like “In His Time”, “Lord You Are Beautiful” and “Lean On Me”, all rearranged with the Alabaster Box flavour.
According to Sammy, the songs were selected to reflect the theme of the album and also reinforce the impact of some of the greatest gospel songs of the past and present generations.
“God willing, the album will be ready by October and will be launched during the Christmas period. The album launch will be used to re-launch the group's Afroppella Night Charity Concerts in Ghana,” Sammy stated.
Beside the album, the group is also coming out with two special singles, “Mama Africa” and “No To Child Labour”.
The group leader noted that Mama Africa is a rearranged version of the group's own song on its first album, which has been made relevant to the challenges of conflicts and wars in some countries on the continent.
The group, he said, intends to come out with a video, which would be promoted across the continent as part of the campaign for peace in Africa.
The song on child labour, which would be recorded with instrumental backing, is the group's own campaign against the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) which is a blot on the country's conscience and yet receives very little attention.
The theme for the song “No To Child Labour, Yes To Education” is the same as that of the Ghana office of International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s campaign in 2007 against WFCL.
Alabaster Box which marked its 13 years of being in the ministry this month, has in the past years participated in countless functions, festivals, conferences and concerts privately as well as on national and international platforms.