Travis remains critical

Influence Vol. 2: The Man I Am

Not having heard Randy Travis' new material, one could mistakenly think a guest vocalist was taking the first licks of "I'm Movin' On," his new album's opening cut. Is that Hank Snow? No, can't be. Refrain ... still the same voice. Second verse - oh man, that's Randy Travis! Wow, his voice sure has changed. Well, yeah, when you've been singing professionally since the mid-1980s, the ol' pipes can slip a bit. And Travis, 54, has battled serious ...

Influence Vol. 1: The Man I Am

Randy Travis hasn't had it easy in recent years with abuse, arrests and this past summer, a major health issue of a stroke. But one thing that hasn't changed is the ease with which the North Carolina native, credited with spearheading the Neo Traditionalist movement 25 years ago, tackles traditional material. That's what this disc is about - Travis doing his take on songs that influenced him. From the sounds of it, Travis had a lot of good music kicking around the house, especially Merle Haggard. ...

Anniversary Celebration

When Randy Travis released "A Few Ole Country Boys" in 1990, it was plain to see the message of his duet with (and ode to) the legendary George Jones hit close to home. Just a few years removed from his stint as a cook at Music City bar The Nashville Palace, Travis' delivery of lyrics such as "Not too many years ago/When dreams weren't comin' true/I'd reach for inspiration/Sometimes it would be you" carried heavy-hitting meaning by the budding star. ...