?Asem No Nie? ? Jane And Bernice?s Latest

Jane and Bernice For a group that once won a national award for presenting the smoothest voices in gospel music as well as the best gospel album, ?Ose Ayeyi?, Jane and Bernice might have been under intense pressure to release another chart-busting album.

However hot the stress has been, the duo have managed to hang firmly on to their vast experience to scoop some soul-inspiring songs from the word of God and presented them in a 12-song album titled ?Asem No Nie?.

Anybody who has listened carefully to the works of Jane and Bernice over the 15 years that they have been around, would know that good instrumentation and harmonic vocal performance are their hallmark.

And the new release has a good measure of these essential ingredients, which are considered the salt and pepper of music.

The duo injects massive live instrumentation into the album as is evident in the fifth song on the album. ?I?m Not Afraid?, which is presented on the wings of contemporary South African rhythms with a heavy dose of guitar works.

Another song, that underscores the singers? penchant for good instrumentation is ?M?ano nka ntom?, (I will not shut up) which flies smoothly on a mixture of funk and highlife rhythms.

Jane and Bernice also relies on cool mid-tempo beats, highlife swings and what sounds like Latino rhythms to put variety in their new release.

The voice of Jane Ayeh is impeccably on top of the opening song, ?Onokwafo? while Bernice Mohammed sings ?Jesus? with such feel and touch that one is literally glued to the song while it runs.

All the songs on the album had live backing from the Zithers Band, an indication that the group will be performing live at their concerts.

Other songs on the album are ?Wo Mmri Pa Mu?, ?Ka Me?, ?Nyomo Woko?, ?Asem No Atintim?, ?Pen Kro Pe?, ?Men Suro? and ?Osoro Nyame? plus a jazz rendition of the latter.

Under the auspices of Akosombo Textiles Limited (ATL), Jane and Bernice will launch ?Asem No Nie? on Sunday, March 27. They will be backed by the Zithers in a special Easter Concert at the Coconut Groove Regency Hotel, in Accra at 5pm.

The group recorded the album under their own record label, Jabenz, and this is their fifth release, coming almost five years after their last production. The most popular release so far has been ?Ose Ayeyi? which swept two top awards at the 2002 Ghana Music Awards.