It has been said that Eskimos have fifty two words for snow.  This is because snow is important to them.  We name the people and things that are important to us.  We give our babies and our pets names because we love them.  Thus, a name is more than just an advertising moniker.  Likewise, the name "The Old Paths" was never surreptitious.  Rather, based on Jeremiah 6:16, it is the commitment of this quartet to always choose the "old paths," the narrow way of the Lord.  In such a context, to have their latest album entitled "These Truths" is nothing short of appropriate and prophetic.  Prophetic in the sense that we are constantly beguiled by our culture to diverge away from God's "old paths" throwing doubts onto God's truth.  Thank God, we have these 10 songs that collectively re-affirm that there is truth and God's truths as contained in Scripture are worthy for us to bank our lives upon.  The Old Paths, by way of introduction, is a southern gospel quartet consisting of Jeremy Peace (tenor), Tim Rackley (lead), Douglas Roark (baritone) and their latest addition Daniel Ashmore (bass).  

"These Truths" is the Old Paths' sophomore record for Crossroads Music to be released on July 16, 2013.  And it follows on the heels of their hugely successful "Right Now' which features two number one hits.  Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, they have stuck to their modus operandi of propulsive toe-tappers and harmony-laden ballads.  Already fast becoming a radio darling is lead single harmonica- swirled rouser "We Are Those Children." "We Are Those Children" hermeneutically bridges between the world of the Bible and ours effectively; here these guys try to show us that the many of promises God made to the Israelites still apply to us today.  In similar lines as the Kingsmen recent single "Land of the Free," the title cut "We Hold These Truths" is a bombastic anthem about the need for America never to abandon God's truths.  Often patriotic slanted songs can appear cheesy but not in this case; the Old Paths are at their most heartfelt best.

Corollary to their mandate to uphold God's truth as central, Old Paths are right on to tackle Karen Gillespie and Rachel McCutcheon's Jesus-centered "Isn't that's Why He Came."  This gorgeous ballad is a perspicuous exposition of the ministry of Jesus in ways even the unschooled can be ministered to.  Other than the distracting heavy percussion, "God Said I Love You" finds the quartet at their tender best.  Though countless songs may have lauded about the love of God, our hearts are so made for him that we cannot get enough of hearing about His love.  Yet, Biblically love as the guys rightly understand is not a saving account where we only deposit God's love for ourselves.  On the country sounding "Love Them to Christ," the Old Paths challenges us that the best way to reach out to the lost is not via condemnation but by love.

The Old Paths has saved the best for last: the final cut "Long Live the King" is an epical triumphant cantata of praise to Jesus Christ.  Starting off soft with various group members taking various parts, the excitement slowly builds.  The burgeoning use of strings, the combination of voices, the energetic build up of the tune all climaxes with the inclusion of the coda from the hymn "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name."  "Long Live Jesus" is nothing short of spectacular.  In fact, the entire album does not disappoint.  If you want an album soaked in God's truths, performed with spades of heart, look no further than the Old Paths' "These Truths."