THE OLD PATHS
“How Good the Good News Feels”
DESCRIPTION:
Few things are more exciting than new songs from old favorites, and though The Old Paths have been a steady presence on the Southern Gospel charts with selections from their 2020 EP, What Love Does, “How Good the Good News Feels” is their first release of 2021 to feature new music—and sure enough, it’s exciting both as a harbinger of things to come and on its own terms, too.
From the burst of twin guitar notes that open the song, “How Good the Good News Feel” signals its intent to celebrate the joy of the gospel message. Set to an energetic country-flavored backing, the song’s spirit of unbridled enthusiasm springs out from the opening chorus and never lets up:
That’s how good the good news feels
Go ahead and call it a miracle
Shake your head and say it’s impossible
…
Joy down deep that the world can’t steal
Can’t stop smiling ‘cause it doesn’t seem real
That’s how good the good news feels
From there, Tim Rackley’s lead vocal offers up a powerful distillation of the good news, as he marvels, “it’s amazing, almost hard to believe/the grace He’s given full and free.” After another chorus, the exuberance moves to another level, as the second verse builds through the addition of each of the quartet’s voices one at a time—and then, after another chorus, to an even higher state, as the bridge reminds us to cling to that good feeling before the final chorus:
May we never lose the wonder of the day we first believed
That a holy God in Heaven loved someone like you and me
“In a world full of nothing but bad news, the good news of the gospel is something to get excited about now more than ever,” notes bass vocalist Daniel Ashmore. “This is a great fun song that you can clap your hands to and be reminded of how good the good news feels!”
KEY SELLING POINTS
- After their debut label with Sonlite in 2012, Right Now, The Old Paths scored two #1 hits with "Battlestand" and "God's Great"
- The following year, the group was named Favorite New Quartet at the National Quartet Convention