With a career reaching back to the early ’90s, Donald Lawrence is one of the most important choir directors and composers in the history of gospel music. In addition to leading the Tri-City Singers, who are the gold standard in terms of marrying razor-sharp performances to ecstatic power, he has written standards like “Encourage Yourself” and “I Am God” that are performed in churches across the United States. The key to Lawrence’s success lies in his commitment to the fundamentals: melodies so strong they’re inescapable, lyrics that turn bad days into good ones and dynamic arrangements capable of bringing congregations to their feet.