THE circle of musical influences on the life of Pastor Otabil keeps
growing. It used to be Okasa Lamptey alone, but in the last one year or
so, three more musicians with excellent spirit have found the way to
the man’s heart.

Excellence. That is the word! There is no other way. This reviewer recalls many years ago when this ICGC General Overseer was invited to be guest of honour at the launch of a gospel album. He accepted the invitation.

At the function, he heard the music for the first time, and it put him off – poor sound quality and general shoddiness.

On behalf of Christianity, he voiced his protest: that too many people are going about doing things shoddily in the name of Christ, in the confident assurance that Christians would buy merely because the work bears the name of Jesus! He refused – and still refuses – to be part of shoddiness.

That is why at the launch of PRESENCE, the debut of Bernard Amankwah, this reviewer was eager to hear the preacher’s comments. Otabil not only endorsed the work, but actually adopted it as one of the CDs in his car collection.

But is PRESENCE good merely because Otabil thinks it is? The answer is no. This is music inspired by, and dedicated to God. Tracks like Just Hold On, a slow-paced work of art that will attract both the young and the elderly, Holy Are You (my own favourite), another powerful track strong on worship and the title track, Presence, will qualify to enter the repertoire of any church’s worship songs.

The lyrics are, like most praise and worship songs, very easy to follow and make your own. Instrumentation comes to a powerful climax in Holy Are You.

If this CD is well promoted, I don’t see Bernard and his group selling less that 50,000 copies in Ghana alone. Here is a clue: make it a charismatic favourite. Do a lot of rounds in those churches. Why Charismatic churches? They are the only churches whose congregations defy the Ghanaian language tag.