New Straits Times, Monday, 22 December 2003
Message of peace in song

By Faridul Anwar Farinordin

THOSE who’re looking for a collection of Christmas songs sung in the gospel style may want to check out Christmas Joy!, the latest festive album released by The Antioch Song Ministry comprising local musicians/producers Gerry Alphonso and Celestino.

The spiritual beauty of each song is magnified in soulful solo and harmonizing vocals, beautiful melodies and simple music arrangements. The songs flow with much of the season’s magical charm and has old-style swing.

The 11-track CD features eight original tracks composed by the duo as well as three traditional tunes given a newly-arranged gospel touch – Silent Night (accompanied by the guitar and harmonica), O Holy Night and O Little Town of Bethlehem.

“We recorded the songs over a period of three months. The CD was supposed to be released earlier but we took our time producing it to ensure its quality. Before we knew it, we realized that Christmas was just around the corner!” Gerry said.

“Apart from the Christmas tunes, we have composed songs which are suitable for the season but actually carry a universal appeal for peace,” Celestino said.
                                                        
The original tracks include the upbeat title track, Give on Christmas Day, Because of Christmas, A Change of Heart and May God Bless You.

“We initially planned to release Christmas Joy! as a single. In the process, we were inspired to come up with more songs. In fact, two of the songs in the album were composed in the studio in Klang,” Gerry said, adding that the aforementioned Song Ministry will be involved in recording more Christian albums soon.

The CDs are priced at RM20 each. | Order here!