Donald Lawrence studied at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. To his credit, Donald's musicality has seen many incarnations, as vocal coach to the R&B group En Vogue, musical director for Stephanie Mills, songwriter for The Clark Sisters, and producer for a host of artists including Peabo Bryson and Kirk Franklin. Lawrence took on The Tri-City Singers after a friend vacated his position as musical director.
The group debuted in 1993 with A Songwriter's Point Of View on a then-brand-new independent record label called GospoCentric Records. The set debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Charts. The group's follow-up release Bible Stories would top those same charts when it arrived in 1995. It was the first to be billed as Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers and featured black church-ubiquitous hits such as "A Message For The Saints", "I Am God" and "Stranger".
In 1997, Donald Lawrence produced the live portion of Karen Clark Sheard's Grammy-nominated Finally Karen debut. Lawrence & Tri-City also released the seasonal Hello Christmas the same year.
In 2000, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers signed to EMI Gospel. To promote the new album, a maxi CD of the lead single "Testify" to the mainstream. House remixes by Junior Vasquez sent the song to #33 on Billboard's Mainstream Dance Charts. When tri-city4.com was finally released in 2001, the set peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts and #13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Charts. The album also got a profile boost from the all-star standout "God's Favor", featuring vocal turns from Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Kelly Price.
In 2004 "I Speak Life" was Donald Lawrence' first solo album, the debut for his newly inked recording contract with Verity Records, and also the first release under his new sublabel Quiet Water Entertainment. Though the album was without The Tri-City Singers, guest appearances were plenteous. Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Faith Evans, Richard Smallwood, and Carl Thomas all contributed to the album. Even jazz notables Ramsey Lewis and Lalah Hathaway were on hand for a remake of the Bible Stories classic "Don't Forget To Remember".
Overture
Donald Lawrence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's when the King of Kings will come in
When the saints go up in praise
That's when the Spirit shall inhabit this place
When the saints get on one accord
And begin to bless the Lord
Then the King who is strong and mighty
Oh, the King who is mighty in battle
When the saints go to worship
That's when deliverance will take place
When the saints go up in praise
All satan's powers are erased
Every trap, the enemy set
Can't work, won't work
When the king {who is strong and mighty}
Oh, the King {who is mighty in battle}
Yea, the King of Glory shall come in
{Soloist-}
We welcome You in
We welcome You in
You're the King and You're invited to come in
To this sanctuary, this tabernacle
You're the King and You're invited to come in
Repeat Soloist - Choir with soloist in {}:
{We welcome You in} You are welcome
{We welcome You in} You are welcome
{You're the King and You're invited to come in}
{To this sanctuary} this sanctuary, {this tabernacle} this tabernacle
{You're the King and You're invited to come in}
You're the King and You're invited to come in
You're the King and You're invited to come in
You're the King and You're invited to come in
You're the King and You're invited to come in
The lyrics of Donald Lawrence's song "Overture" speak to the power of worship and praise in welcoming the presence of God in a sanctuary or tabernacle. The repeated phrase "When the saints go to worship / That's when the King of Kings will come in" emphasizes the significance of group worship in creating a spiritual atmosphere where God's presence can be felt. The lyrics go on to describe the ways in which worship and praise can bring about deliverance and defeat the enemy's tactics. The soloist's invitation for the King to come in reinforces the idea that God's presence is eagerly anticipated and desired in the sanctuary.
Line by Line Meaning
When the saints go to worship
Deliverance takes place when believers gather to worship
That's when the King of Kings will come in
God's presence will be felt in the gathering when believers worship collectively
When the saints go up in praise
Believers become liberated from the devil's power as they praise God
That's when the Spirit shall inhabit this place
The Holy Spirit will be present in the gathering when the believers start to praise
When the saints get on one accord
When believers are united in praise and worship as one, the presence of God becomes multiplied
And begin to bless the Lord
The worship of believers will invite the presence of God
Then the King who is strong and mighty
God almighty will be present for deliverance and healing
Oh, the King who is mighty in battle
God, who is powerful in the fight between good and evil, will be present
Yea, the King of Glory shall come in
God's overpowering presence will fill the atmosphere
We welcome You in
Believers invite God's presence to dwell in their midst
You're the King and You're invited to come in
God's greatness and power are recognized and revered as He's invited to take His rightful place among them
To this sanctuary,
The place where they're gathered for worship
this tabernacle
The place where they assemble as a congregation for worship
You're the King and You're invited to come in
God's sovereignty is recognized, and He is invited to take charge of the gathering
You're the King and You're invited to come in
Believers want God's power and presence to be in their midst
You're the King and You're invited to come in
Recognizing God as it's leader, the assembly seeks His presence
You're the King and You're invited to come in
The King of Kings is the subject of the invitation by believers to fill their space.
Contributed by Arianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
VWM
on Soulful Noel
Shoo Ba Doo Deet deet dee
Doop Doo Doo
Shoo Ba Doo Deet deet dee
Doop Doo Doo
Verse 1
It was the first Noel the angels did say
To certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay
Keeping their sheep on a cold winters night
This was so deep y’all it was so right
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Verse 2
I can imagine it was a cold night (Oo so cold)
All of the shepherds, trying to do (their jobs right)
Suddenly in the sky, there appeared (the sky, the sky, the sky)
A host of angels, which caused them to fear
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Verse 3
Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy (great joy)
In the city of David of (Christ, the Lord)
You can find these things in swaddling clothes
(Tell it , Tell it Go tell it)
I want you to go and tell everybody you know
Go tell them that Christ is born
Verse 4
I’m going to tell everyone that I meet (hi oo)
To go and humble yourselves at (this child’s feet)
He came to save to heal and forgive (heal and forgive)
So that we all we might live
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Born is the King of Israel
Born is the King of Israel
He is the King of Israel