The Proverbs originally began in 1967. The original roster was Dave Daw, his brother
Frank, and cousin Ken. In 1983 when the
Proverbs released DREAM COME TRUE the group was comprised of Dave Daw, his wife
Kathy, and his sister Karyl. Their
website says: “The Proverbs have been voted Canada’s top mixed gospel group
more than a dozen times and have also shared billings with many of gospel
music’s top U.S. artists, including those who are regularly featured on the
popular Gaither Homecoming video series.”
DREAM COME TRUE was a favourite of mine growing up. It was recorded and remixed at Summit Sound
Studio in Westport, Ontario.
The album starts off with a fun, upbeat number ‘Jesus is
Your Ticket to Heaven’. The song reminds
us that our good works can’t earn us salvation: “You can buy a ticket for a
boat and you can buy a ticket for a plane/You can buy a ticket for a subway/But
you can’t buy a ticket for that heavenly train/You see Jesus is your ticket to
heaven/Lord, it’s gonna be so nice/Jesus is your ticket to heaven/He’s already
paid the price.” ‘Who is on the Lord’s
Side?’ has an old country music feel to it.
Lyrically, it points out that we can either serve Christ or the
devil. It’s a very important decision:
“Now to God is granted all the praise and glory/For He gave His Son on Calvary
to die/Oh and that same Son who gave His life on old Golgotha/Now tell me, who
is on the Lord’s side tonight?/Who is on the Lord’s side among you?/Who will
help us join in the fight?/Who is on the Lord’s side among you?/Who is on the
side of the right?”
The easy listening song ‘He Came to Love You’ is next. It speaks of how Christ can transform our
lives if we only ask: “So if you can believe that you are the one He died
for/And if you will believe that Jesus is Lord and Saviour/He’ll replace your
grief with gladness/And give you joy for all your sadness/He’ll set you
free/Don’t you know/He came to love you?”
‘I’ll Just Lay it Down’ is a ballad of testimony: “I’ve carried this
burden of sin for so long/Life scarcely had meaning for me/I was a prisoner to
Satan and blinded by sin/Believing I’d never be free/But in my desperation I
called on the Lord/At an altar where I prayed through/And the chains fell away
like the darkness at dawn/And He told me just what I must do/I’ll just lay down
and leave it/I’m gonna lay down and leave it/I’ll carry this burden no more.”
‘It’ll Be Alright’ finds the Proverbs in Happy Goodman
territory. It is a real toe-tapping song
of rejoicing: “The Lord has gone away to prepare a mansion in glory for
me/Someday by His grace I’ll see His face and I’ll live eternally/It could be
on the land that I’ll shake His hand, in the air, or maybe on the sea/I don’t
care as long as Jesus is there/It’ll be alright with me (3X)/Jesus saved my
soul and I’m ready to go/It’ll be alright with me.” ‘In My Robe of White’ is a rousing Southern
Gospel classic that has been performed by Gold City. This one anticipates the Rapture: “It’s gonna
be a wonderful time when I get to the other side/And see my loved ones gone
before.../We’ll be walkin’ on streets of gold/Surrounded by riches untold/When
I first look at Jesus’ face/I know I’ll be safe in His amazing grace.”
The title track ‘Dream Come True’ is an inspirational song
that again reflects on the Rapture: “And I rise into the sky as I fly away to
my new home to reign with God in peace and love everyday/Then I wake in the
morn/The birds softly singing/And the song of the night plays strong on my
mind/And I smile as the sun shines brightly around me/Cause Jesus has come to
call me away.” 1 John 1:9 reads: “If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.” ‘The
Sweetest Words He Ever Said’ is upbeat and uses fiddle to good effect. It gladly tells of the total forgiveness
Christ gives us if we just ask: “Well, if you’re tired of living with some
wrong that you have done/Just come on home to Jesus/You know He’s the cleansing
One/In His arms He’ll hold you/You’ll just begin to live/When you hear Him gently
whisper ‘I forgive’/The sweetest words He ever said were ‘I forgive’/The
sinner’s sin was wiped away and I could live/I like the part where He told
about a mansion He would give/The sweetest words He ever said were ‘I
forgive’”.
‘He Will Forgive’ recalls the New Testament story of the
woman caught in adultery: “Now a woman was brought to Jesus one day/Condemned
for the life that she lived/Her accusers said death was the price she should
pay/But He said ‘I will forgive’/He will forgive/Live and let live/So if wrong
you have done/Remember, He is God’s Son/He will forgive” ‘Already Mine’ closes off the album and
reminds us of our spiritual inheritance in Christ: “Now Satan may tempt you and
offer his prize/But I’ll say ‘No thank you, it’s already mine/You see I became
rich when He became mine’/I’ll say ‘No thank you, for everything is
mine/Already mine, already mine/I’m an heir to His Kingdom and it’s already
mine/My Father is rich, loving, and kind/I am His child (2X)/So, it’s already
mine/It’s mine.’”
Dave, Kathy, and Karyl’s harmonies are great on this
terrific retro release which features a nice mix of faster and slower paced
numbers. It should appeal to a wide age
group and presents a clear Gospel message.
I’m rating it 88%. For more info
and to purchase please visit www.theproverbs.com. You can catch the Proverbs in concert on
August 18/13 at Camp Carrick (Walkerton) at 7pm.