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The Old Paths release What Love Does

Arden, North Carolina (June 5, 2020) — Following a year in which they released two albums and had a #1 song with “Come Sunday Morning,” The Old Paths (website HERE), are sharing the many things God’s love can do on their new album, “What Love Does,” now available on all streaming platforms.

Each song captures the many ways God’s boundless love blesses each person, each day.

“What Love Does” begins with “This Is Amazing Grace,” telling of all that God has done so that we may live with love and grace. It’s followed by the first single, “I Got The Grace, He Gets The Glory,” a high-energy and upbeat song describing how God is always a solid foundation to stand on, despite sins and trials.

“When I heard this song, I couldn’t help but think that this is the theme for life as a believer,” says bass singer Daniel Ashmore who is featured on this song. “I can’t take credit for something I didn’t do and something I didn’t earn, therefore I get the grace and He gets the glory! That’s a message we want to share and this song sums it up perfectly.”

“You Can’t Get Away From God,” written by Kenna Turner West, Sue C. Smith and Brian White and featuring Doug Roark, inspired the album’s title. Each verse tells vignettes of how people in tough places don’t think they’ll find relief, yet God is always there for comfort.

The powerful “Pray While You Wait” reminds that God’s timing is always perfect. When life feels impossible, know God will come through and you can always pray while you wait.

Old Paths

“Bread,” another upbeat song, illustrates how God can accomplish the impossible through the story of the loaves and fishes, while the instrumental “How Great Is Our God” — which features Ashmore on saxophone — allows listeners to feel the music, and pause to appreciate it.

“Look At All I Lost” and the final song “Salvation’s Song” talk about no longer being lost after finding Christ, and being freed from guilt, shame and the weight of life. With powerful and moving vocals, these songs capture the theme of the album’s title — God’s love is capable of amazing things.

“We are so excited about this new album. The title ‘What Love Does’ is really the theme of the album, reflected in the song selection. We feel this is the best album we’ve done that really showcases our new sound with our current lineup,” says Ashmore. “Through our many failures and different circumstances in life, God exemplifies His love for us in His endless pursuit to save and change us. God is never late, and is always working all things for our good and His glory, because that’s what love does.”

Listen to What Love Does HERE.

About The Old Paths
In 2003, The Old Paths began its ministry taking the group’s name from Jeremiah 6:16 which says, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for The Old Paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” With this vision in mind and a heart for ministry, founding members Douglas Roark and Tim Rackley started The Old Paths as a trio.

The group morphed into a quartet shortly after. They signed with Crossroads Music’s Sonlite Records in 2012. Their album “Right Now” was a breakout project for them producing two #1 hits, “Battlestand” and “God’s Great,” within a six-month span. In 2013, the group was named Favorite New Quartet in the Singing News Fan Awards, and songs like “Love Them to Jesus” and “Ordinary People” also quickly became fan favorites.

The quartet made the decision in 2015 to come off the road for a while due to family circumstances. While the decision was not easy, they left the door open for a possible return to gospel music and touring. When God opened that door for them in 2017, they were ready to walk through it. With a renewed passion for ministry, The Old Paths took the stage again at the Memphis Quartet Show in June 2017.

The group now consists of founding members Tim Rackley and Douglas Roark, longtime bass singer Daniel Ashmore and tenor Steve Ladd.

Tim, Doug and Daniel found the right blend with Steve to be able to come together as The Old Paths again. The goal of the group has stayed the same after all these years to see people come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and to encourage fellow believers. They are thankful that God gave them the chance to return to the platform again to sing and encourage. They could not be more excited about this new stage of their ministry and to see what God has for the group in the future.

About Crossroads:
Crossroads is a market leader in the Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, and Americana fields. Established in 1993, following the combination of Horizon Music Group and Sonlite Records, Crossroads now operates several divisions including Crossroads Label Group (Horizon Records, Sonlite Records, Mountain Home Music, Skyland Records, Pisgah Ridge Records, Crossroads Records, and Organic Records), Crossroads Distribution, Crossroads Radio Promotions, and Crossroads Recording Studios. Led by a strong executive team of Christian music and Bluegrass music veterans, Crossroads combines cutting-edge technology with creative innovation to connect fans with our artists’ music.

New roads for the Old Paths

The Old Paths

The Old Paths began as a trio in 2003 with a great sound but when they transformed into a quartet sometime later, this sound led them to the top of the charts. “Battlestand” and “Love Them to Jesus” made the group popular until 2015, when the momentum of the group formed by Tim Rackley and Douglas Roark ground to a halt.

The Old Paths – Daniel

“Changes in life come at times when we least expect them,” explains Daniel Ashmore, bass singer with the Old Paths since 2011. “When we felt the Lord leading us to come off the road, we didn’t know where we would end up or how we would get there. I can remember feeling led to come off the road and wondering how my wife and I would make it. God had already done some amazing things through the ministry of the Old Paths and all of a sudden, he told us to go home.  The hardest part about coming off the road was trusting that God would provide and open the door for the next step in my life. It was also difficult to see how God could continue to use me without singing on a normal basis. It is easy to have faith when everything is going well, but even harder when that faith is put to the test.”

The group’s faith was certainly put to the test when Tim Rackley’s daughter, Brianna, underwent a kidney transplant in December, 2014. Just a few months later, the Old Path’s tenor, Jeremy Peace, left the group. In mid-2015, the group announced they would be retiring in December, 2015. Health issues and family obligations, as well as the knowledge that the Lord was asking them to hit the pause button, caused the members to decide to park the bus for awhile.

“My wife and I just trusted God with His leading and just as he has always done, he provided more than I could’ve imagined,” Ashmore states. “He opened up a door for me to have a job where spiritual growth and serving others is encouraged. This, in turn, led to opportunities to talk with people on a everyday basis. Spiritually, it helped me learn to trust God even more and once he did as he always does – provide – my faith in him grew stronger. Coming off the road also provided the rest and refreshment that I needed at that time in my life. During the time off the road, God grew me personally in ways I didn’t know I could grow. God gave me a deeper passion to reach the lost through witnessing. I don’t know that I would’ve grown the way I did had we kept singing when the Lord told us to come off the road. God used that time off the road to do a work in me that he could apply when we hit the road again.”

The Old Paths – Tim

As for the Rackleys, things have come full circle for their daughter. “Brianna is now 21 years old and since her kidney transplant she is doing ‘super fantastic,’” says father Tim. “The Lord has really been real in her in all different ways. She is attending her first year of college and since back on the road I tell folks the best part is she has her first job.”

“I am so excited to be back doing what I loved to do and that is singing the Gospel of Christ,” Tim continues. “I also am glad that I get to see the friends we have met over the years before we stopped in December of 2015. The biggest thing that has changed since we stopped touring in 2015 is I got more sleep since I was home every week and with being on the road every week you don’t sleep as much.”

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