FOR MANY Gospel music fans, Dorinda Clark-Cole is more than a source of inspiration; she is voice of strength. A three-time Grammy Award winning evangelist and singer, Dorinda is best known as a member of The Clark Sisters, and as a daughter of pioneering choral director Mattie Moss Clark. Her ministry has taken her to the corners of the world singing, preaching, teaching, and leading. She has also been credited as the first woman to minister to over 4,000 people in South Africa. Even with her many accomplishments, Dorinda is most proud of one thing: She’s a survivor. And, that triumph is exactly what she is sharing in her new album, I Survived.
“This album is about helping people know that they, too, can survive,” Dorinda shares. “I've survived suicide attempts. I've survived sickness. I’ve survived painful lies and betrayal. I’ve survived a lot of things that threatened to take my life. No matter what someone is going through, God will help them survive their circumstances. He did it for me, and I know He is able to do it for them. That’s what this album is about. I Survived is my testimony – but I hope that it will help others survive their pain, grief, depression, and hardships,” Dorinda continues.
Showcasing Dorinda’s vocal prowess, I Survived moves listeners in a way that only an honest and intimate testimony can. Recounting the day she attempted to take her life, Dorinda discloses: “I was about to drive my car off the bridge. And while I was right there, the enemy was speaking to me. I had a war going on [inside of me]. I began to drive and accelerate up to 80 miles per hour. God spoke to me just as plain as day and said, ‘Dorinda, are you going to let everything that has been invested in you go down the drain?’ And when I heard God’s voice, I began to take my foot off the accelerator and the car started coasting right to the bridge. And the Lord whispered to me and said, ‘Peace be unto you.’ [...] I began to weep. So if it had not been for God keeping me, I would have been doomed and consumed.”
Through her stirring testimony, Dorinda uses her new album to heal the broken-hearted, and give hope to the hopeless. With an upbeat tempo, “Holy One” teaches that, even in the midst of pain and hardship, we should never stop praising God. In “God is Everything to Me,” “God Will Take Care of You,” and Don’t Give Up,” the songstress compels listeners to trust God with everything – especially their heartache, wounds, and struggles. And, “He Brought Me,” “Thank You,” and “This is Why” remind us that God will turn our mess into an inspiring message – if we’re willing to give Him all the glory. 
