Alabaster Box (album)

Alabaster Box is the fourth studio album by American singer CeCe Winans. It was released by WellSpring Gospel on October 19, 1999 in the United States. Her debut release on WellSpring, her own label, Winans described Alabaster Box as an "experimental" album for the label before any new artists were signed. It did very well on the charts and included a duet with Take 6. Gospel artist Fred Hammond also took a production turn on the album.

Alabaster Box
Studio album by Cece Winans
Released	October 19, 1999
Studio	Face To Face Studios (Southfield, Mississippi) Dark Horse Recording and Fun Attic Studio (Franklin, Tennessee) Ocean Way Recording, Vertical Sound Studio and Bridgeway Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) Tribe Studio (Van Nuys, California)
Genre	Funk Soul Gospel
Length	45:30
Label	WellSpring Gospel
Producer	CeCe Winans (exec.) Alvin Love (exec.) Cedric Caldwell Victor Caldwell Cedric Dent Fred Hammond Mark Kibble David Thomas
Cece Winans chronology
His Gift (1998) Alabaster Box (1999) CeCe Winans (2001)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Allmusic editor Steve Huey found that Alabaster Box "is a return to [Winan's] gospel roots, in contrast to the straight-ahead urban soul of Everlasting Love, and it's a triumphant one. Winans sounds invigorated by the spiritual material, delivering committed performances and commanding vocals. The production sounds very contemporary, if a little slick at times, but that's not likely to bother most fans. Alabaster Box is an excellent album from a terrific talent."

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Fill My Cup" (Intro)	Richard Blanchard		0:51
2.	"King of Kings (He's a Wonder)"	CeCe Winans Fred Hammond	Hammond	4:24
3.	"It Wasn't Easy"	Winans Christopher Harris	Harris	4:48
4.	"Alabaster Box"	Janice Sjostrand	Harris	5:32
5.	"Comforter"	Randy Phillips	Harris	4:42
6.	"Love of My Heart"	Winans Hammond	Hammond	4:17
7.	"Without Love"	Winans Hammond	Hammond	3:54
8.	"He's Not on His Knees Yet"	Allen Shamblin Madeline Stone	Harris	3:10
9.	"One and the Same" (featuring Take 6)	Kyle Matthews Pete Carlson	Cedric Dent David Thomas Mark Kibble	4:20
10.	"Higher Place of Praise"	Winans Carlson	Hammond	3:51
11.	"Blessed, Broken & Given"	Lari A. Goss	Cedric Caldwell Victor Caldwell	4:54
12.	"King of Kings (He's a Wonder)" (Reprise)	Winans Hammond	Hammond	4:01

Personnel

• CeCe Winans – vocals, backing vocals (7)
• Fred Hammond – keyboards (2, 6, 12), bass guitar (2, 6, 10, 12), drum programming (2, 6, 12), backing vocals (6, 7, 10), acoustic guitar (7)
• Kent Hooper – programming (3)
• Michael Linney – programming (3), drum programming (5)
• Jeff Roach – programming (3, 5)
• Tom Howard – acoustic piano (4, 8), string arrangements (4, 8)
• Noel Hall – additional keyboards (6, 10), organ (6)
• Tommie Walker – keyboards (7, 10), drum programming (7, 10)
• Cedric Caldwell – instruments (11)
• Victor Caldwell – instruments (11)
• Darryl Dixon – acoustic guitar (2, 7, 12)
• George Cocchini – guitars (3, 5)
• Dan Needham – drums (3)
• Marvin McQuitty – live drums (6)
• Donald Hayes – saxophone (6)
• Carl Gorodetzky – string leader (4, 8)
• The Nashville String Machine – strings (4, 8)
• Resa Bell – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Bricie Byars – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Miautra Dias – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• PamKeynon M. Donald – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Sherri Edwards – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• LaShonda Lewis – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Tamika Lucas – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Yoshawndala Parker – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Cynthia Pasley – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Bryan Pratt – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Frederick J. Purifoy II – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Lisa Cochran – backing vocals (3, 5)
• Ron Hemby – backing vocals (3, 5)
• Marabeth Jordan – backing vocals (3, 5)
• Christopher Harris – backing vocals (5)
• Jan Harris – backing vocals (5)
• Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir – choir (5)
• Carol Cymbala – choir director (5)
• Take 6 – vocals (9)

Production

• Alvin Love – executive producer, management
• CeCe Winans – executive producer, A&R coordinator
• Fred Hammond – recording (2, 6, 7, 10, 12), mixing (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Ray Hammond – recording (2, 6, 7, 10, 12), mixing (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• James "JB" Baird – engineer (3-5, 8)
• Robert "Void" Caprio – engineer (3, 5)
• Tom Laune – mixing (3-5, 8)
• Todd Robbins – engineer (5)
• Les Pierce – recording (9)
• David Thomas – recording (9)
• Marcelo Pennell – engineer (9)
• Marcus Eason – assistant engineer (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Kevin Wilson – assistant engineer (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• Rob Evans – assistant engineer (3)
• PamKeynon M. Donald – production administration (2, 6, 7, 10, 12)
• PJ Heimmerman – production manager (3-5, 8)
• Dion Velasquez – production manager (3-5, 8)
• Karen Philpott – design
• Michael Gomez – photography
• C.W. Wellspring Entertainment – management

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	129
US Christian Albums (Billboard)	5
US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	55

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.