Author: Texas Gospel

Something’s Goin’ On: Anthem Edition finds its voice in faith and harmony

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AMY TURNER

There comes a time in every gospel quartet’s evolution when the songs stop being just songs and start being confessions. For Anthem Edition, that moment arrived while they were combing through material for their upcoming Sonlite Records EP, Something’s Goin’ On, out August 28.

“When we started searching for songs to record, each member of the group had songs that truly spoke to where they are in life right now,” says Tim Rackley, the group’s founder and a member since its earliest days as The Old Paths back in 2003. “We knew, if the songs moved us in a powerful way, they would move the listeners as well.”

That’s not marketing language; it’s a philosophy Rackley has clearly built a career on. “You cannot deliver a song fully if you don’t feel it yourself,” he says, and it shows in how the seven-track collection comes together. Three songs have already made their way into the world, including “He Is Who He Is,” which is climbing the charts as we speak. The other four are new, and together the whole project moves like a conversation, up-tempo celebration giving way to something quieter, then rising again.

The EP opens and closes on its most joyful notes, bookended by “He Is Who He Is” and the title track, but the real emotional center lives somewhere in the middle. “He Still Washed His Feet” pulls the group into something intimate and reflective. “Land Of Joy Untold” leans into a relaxed, country-inflected groove. “I’m Another Lazarus” plays like a testimony shouted from the rooftops. It’s a group finding range, not just repeating a formula.

I am saved, I’m a living testimony of His grace
I’m the evidence of what the Blood can change
That sins can be erased
And it’s all because of mercy I am saved
I am saved

Then there’s “I Am Saved,” the project’s focus track and, by Rackley’s account, its clearest statement of purpose. Producer Roger Talley brought contemporary textures into the arrangement without losing what makes a quartet chorus hit the way it does. The lyrics don’t dress up the message:

“Filled with strong songs, great harmonies, and messages that point people to Christ, this project blends the best of Southern Gospel tradition with a fresh sound for today’s listeners,” Rackley says. “From start to finish, these songs encourage, inspire, and remind us of God’s faithfulness. Something’s Goin’ On shows just how far this lineup has come.”

That distance is worth sitting with. What began in 2003 as a trio called The Old Paths, founded by Roark and Rackley, grew into a quartet and eventually national recognition. Signing with Crossroad Music’s Sonlite Records in 2012 led to the breakout album Right Now, two number one hits, and a Singing News Fan Award for Favorite New Quartet. There was a hiatus in 2015, a return to the road in 2017, and then, in late 2022, a full rebrand: The Old Paths became Anthem Edition, with Andrew Utech stepping in on bass. Cameron Edens joined as tenor in the fall of 2023, filling out the lineup that now sings these songs like they mean them, because, according to Rackley, they do.

Something’s Goin’ On is available for pre-save now, ahead of its August 28 release on Sonlite Records.

The grace and wisdom of God go deeper than any words can fully reach

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Romans 11:33 gives us the image of depth. Just as no one has ever measured the floor of the ocean, no one has ever reached the bottom of God’s grace. Forgiveness, peace with God, the hope of heaven, new life: all of it available to people who are broken, lost, and without anything to offer in return.

And that is precisely what makes it so striking. This grace is not given to the deserving. It is lavished on the struggling, the sinful, the ones who come to God empty-handed. It reaches into places nothing else can touch. And the more we understand it, the more we discover how much more there is still to understand.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2:4-5

Chosen Road’s Zach Alvis celebrates arrival of baby Josie

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AMY TURNER

Josie Leona Alvis arrived a little ahead of schedule, and her dad, Zach Alvis of Chosen Road, made sure fans heard the news. Born July 3rd at 6:11 PM, Josie weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz and measured 18.5 inches long.

Alvis shared the news on Facebook with the same heartfelt honesty that colours his music: “It wasn’t the timeline we had planned, but we’re reminded once again that the Lord’s plans are always better than ours. His providence is perfect, and His faithfulness never EVER fails. We’re overwhelmed with gratitude that our baby girl is healthy, Momma is doing well, Jack is the proudest big brother ever and shown once again how God has been so kind to us through it all. We know every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and this sweet little life is a reminder of His grace and mercy.”

Congratulations to the Alvis family on the newest addition to their household.

The clear promise of Christ’s return

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JEFF TURNER

The return of Christ has become a contested question in our time, debated in pulpits, published in books, dramatized on screens. And yet, for all the noise, the Bible speaks with uncommon clarity.

Two camps have emerged. Some teach that His coming will be invisible, purely spiritual. Others hold that it will be real, bodily, and visible to all. This is not a small disagreement. What we believe about His return shapes how we read all of Scripture.

Much of the confusion traces back not to the text, but to fiction. When imagination fills the spaces that Scripture already occupies, the truth grows dim. We must return to the New Testament, where the teaching is plain and direct.

Jesus will come again, and His coming will be seen. Visible signs will precede Him across the earth. There will be nothing quiet, nothing hidden, nothing merely inward about it. His feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives. The mountain will divide. Waters will flow. Dry places will bloom. The physical world itself will bear witness to His arrival.

This matters because truth always matters. When we anchor our hope to what Scripture actually says, confusion gives way to conviction.

For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24:27

Steve Ladd on the mend after hip surgery, eager to get back to what he calls his calling

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AMY TURNER

Steve Ladd has spent his life singing about redemption, and this summer, he’s living out a smaller version of that story: recovery.

The artist, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and was once nominated for New Artist of the Year by the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, underwent a full hip replacement at the end of June. It wasn’t a routine procedure. Ladd had surgery on the same hip as a child, and the old complications resurfaced on the operating table. According to a Facebook post by his wife, Meagan, the surgery ran about an hour longer than doctors had planned.

Still, Ladd came through it, and by all accounts, he’s bouncing back fast. He’s already deep into physical therapy, and the reports have been encouraging. On Monday, he shared the news himself in a Facebook post that read like classic Ladd: equal parts gratitude and gospel fire.

“Therapist just left. He said everything looked great and that I’m doing good (movement wise),” he wrote. “I’m ready to get back to doing what I love to do and what I’m called to do… SING! Maybe this new hip will help me sing better?!”

That sense of calling has defined Ladd’s career for years. His music has always leaned into themes of faith and restoration, and his latest single, “Mercy Seat,” carries that same thread forward, exploring spiritual redemption, forgiveness, and what Ladd describes as unconditional freedom found through Jesus.

For an artist whose whole catalogue circles back to grace and second chances, a hip that’s giving him a second chance of its own feels almost fitting. Fans who’ve followed Ladd’s journey through the Gospel Music world will recognize the tone: humour, humility, and an eagerness to get back to the stage.

For now, Ladd is focused on healing. But if his Facebook post is any indication, it won’t be long before he’s back on the road, mic in hand, doing the thing he’s always said he was made to do.