Randy Traywick (Paula Records, 1978) (#429) (7")
A: "Dreamin' " (c: Barry De Vorzon & Ted Ellis)
B: "I'll Take Any Willing Woman" (c: Bob Bigger & Marvin Coe)
(Produced by Joe Stampley)
Randy Travis's earliest recordings, made with 'Seventies second-stringer Joe Stampley taking a turn as producer. Diehard fans will certainly want to check these singles out, even though there are some rough edges that still needed to be smoothed out. Travis/Traywick's vocals are unsurprisingly strong, and readily recognizable as the 'Eighties hitmaker to come. The arrangements are strong though generic, bright, uptempo country twang with a pop undertone, but definitely tilting towards honkytonk. The emphatic, driving A-side opens with a punchy, rhythmic burst, but drifts into a by-the-numbers performance; the B-side, "I'll Take Any Willing Woman," is a stronger track, borrowing heavily from mid-'Seventies George Jones sound, but also benefitting from a more relaxed delivery by Travis. The formula isn't totally in place, but for a lost record from his earliest, indie-est years, this is pretty impressive. The real surprise is that it took almost another whole decade before be broke through and became a star.
Randy Traywick (Paula Records, 1978) (#431) (7")
A: "She's My Woman" (c: Jerry Tassel & Van Tassel)
B: "Remember When" (c: J. Strickland & Carmol Taylor)
(Produced by Joe Stampley)
Not as intriguing as the single above. The A-side sounds too much like one of Joe Stampley's rock-oldies-flavored records, with a goofy, poppy arrangement -- still brightly produced, but not a great song. Travis's vocal approach is interesting and atypical, with him channelling Jerry Reed instead of George Jones. The flipside, "All The Praises," is much better -- and much Jones-ier, having been recorded in 1972 by ol' Possum himself, and by Stampley in '76. Still, you can understand why these singles barely made a ripple at the time: they're okay, but just a teeny little bit "off," aggressively chart-oriented, but not quite totally polished.
Randy Ray "Live At The Nashville Palace" (Randy Ray Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Keith Stegall & Johnny Rosen)
Although Travis seemed to appear, fully formed from the head of Proteus when he hit the charts in '86, it turns out he also had a past as an indie-label artist... There was this live album as well as a couple of singles in the late '70s under the name of Randy Traywick... Good luck tracking this stuff down -- I just barely learned of its existence myself! But I am mighty curious...
Randy Travis "Storms Of Life" (Warner Brothers, 1986)
(Produced by Keith Stegall & Kyle Lehning)
Randy Travis "Always And Forever" (Warner Brothers, 1987)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Randy Travis "Old 8 x 10" (Warner Brothers, 1988)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
A pretty slow-paced, but super-soulful set of honkytonk weepers, with an uptempo tune or two to spice things up. He has such a great voice, and the songwriting is so strong and well-crafted... What more do you need to know? This album's kind of downcast, but it's definitely a keeper.
Randy Travis "An Old Time Christmas" (Warner Brothers, 1989)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Randy Travis "No Holdin' Back" (Warner Brothers, 1989)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Randy Travis "Heroes And Friends" (Warner Brothers, 1990)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
A duets album with some mighty high-caliber guests artists... We're talking folks like Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty and even the Great One himself, George Jones, collaborating on a tune called "A Few Ole Country Boys," as well as another Jones acolyte, Vern Gosdin, singing "The Human Race." The only entrants that seem questionable are bluesman B. B. King and sometimes-singer Clint Eastwood... But having Roy Rogers wrap things up with a duet of "Happy Trails"? Pretty snazzy.
Randy Travis "High Lonesome" (Warner Brothers, 1991)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Another swell set of smooth, mellow weepers, and equally pleasing mid-tempo honkytonkers, all with a hint of western swing... Travis is just so calm and assured, and such a great performer. The only downside here is the gooey, sing-along hit, "Point Of Light," which has a touchy-feelie, born-again aura to it that some more secular-minded fans may find a little suffocating... Still, it's a great record, particularly with four songs on it co-written by an up-and-coming young'un named Alan Jackson, notably the anti-yuppie anthem, "Better Class Of Losers..." Again... what else can you say? This is a really nice record, packed with one good tune after another... Recommended!
Randy Travis "Wind In The Wire" (Warner Brothers, 1993)
(Produced by Steve Gibson, Howard Linderman & Gary Paczosa)
Randy Travis "This Is Me" (Warner Brothers, 1994)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Even when he's coasting, Travis is still a force to be reckoned with... This disc has a mild pop gloss, but most of the songs are compulsively listenable. A few tracks -- "Whisper My Name," "This Is Me," "The Box" -- are kinda goopy and lame, but the rest of the album is easy on the ears; mostly it's just that durn voice... He's such a great singer, he could croon almost anything and it would sound just fine. Note, however, Randy's religious beliefs starting to creep in and take over the show... Most of the second half of the album has a spiritual theme or reference to it. This isn't his strongest record, but it's still got several songs that are worth checking out....
Randy Travis "Full Circle" (Warner Brothers, 1996)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Although chart success had largely slipped out of his grasp by the time this disc came out, it hardly reflected on the quality of the songs themselves. This is another soulful, well-produced, beautifully understated true country gem. Travis is still, amazingly, able to keep it real, even when he's dipping into slow songs and commercial country styles that other artists would founder on... Admittedly, this album does drag a bit, but the good songs -- "I Wish It Would Rain," "Future Mister Me," "Price To Pay" -- are surprisingly strong for an artist whose been around as long as Travis, and who's been in the thick of the Nashville scene the whole time. Nice record; very finely crafted and definitely worth checking out.
Randy Travis "You And You Alone" (Dreamworks Records, 1998)
(Produced by Byron Gallimore, James Stroud & Randy Travis)
Randy Travis "A Man Ain't Made Of Stone" (Dreamworks Records, 1999)
(Produced by Byron Gallimore, James Stroud & Randy Travis)
Randy Travis "Inspirational Journey" (Warner Brothers, 2000)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Another all-gospel set, featuring mostly newer material, though he does close things out with a version of "Amazing Grace."
Randy Travis "Live: It Was Just A Matter Of Time" (Image Entertainment, 2001)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
A live album, released both as a DVD video hybrid, and in an audio-only version. No vinyl, though!
Randy Travis "Rise And Shine" (Word Records, 2002)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
Entering the new millennium, Travis made a clean break with the secular Top Forty scene, not only devoting himself exclusively recording religious material, but here signing with Word Records, one of the core labels of the Southern Gospel scene. He would carve out a new niche as a former global star now singing Christian country, and held this orbit for the entire decade. But if you're open to gospel material, there's nothing to complain about: Travis's southern gospel was far more country-sounding and emotionally resonant than most of the other artists in the field.
Randy Travis "Worship And Faith" (Curb/Word Records, 2003)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
An outstanding, understated, acoustic-based gospel set, with standards and original material, all delivered with warmth and conviction... Nice to hear that Travis's born-again religiosity hasn't gotten in the way of his musical strengths. Recommended, although maybe only for those who are already inclined towards the Christian material...
Randy Travis "Passing Through" (Word Records, 2004)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning, Jason Lehning & Scott Baggett)
Randy Travis "Glory Train" (Word Records, 2005)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning & Casey Wood)
Older-school gospel material, largely drawn from the more blues-and-soul-oriented black gospel tradition. A few tracks feature guest performers: a lineup of the Five Blind Boys Of Alabama sings on "Swing Low Chariot" and "Up Above My Head," while southern gospel's Crabb Family backs Travis on a song called "Through The Fire."
Randy Travis "Songs Of The Season" (Warner Brothers/Word Records, 2007)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
This one's a Christmas album...
Randy Travis "Around The Bend" (Warner Brothers, 2007)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
A secular set, sort of, though one that's remarkably gloomy and fixated on frail human mortality, with songs such "Every Head Bowed," " 'Til I'm Dead And Gone," and "Dig Two Graves," and is even rueful on lighter novelty numbers such as "Everything That I Own (Has Got A Dent)." Clearly Mr. Travis, whose personal struggles had become quite public, was going through some heavy stuff.
Randy Travis "Randy Travis" (Cracker Barrel/Warner Brothers, 2011)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
The licensing deal with the folks at the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain must have been pretty sweet, because Randy Travis was just one on in a long string of big-name artists who released exclusive records with the company around this timeframe. This disc is a nice, compact best-of set, with three "new," previously unreleased tracks on it: his own "I'm Free," Bobby Braddock's "This Song Doesn't Rhyme" and "She's Okay And I'm Okay," from the pen of Harlan Howard, along with a selection of hits from years gone by. The real draw is the trio of new songs -- there are so many great songs that got left off ("Old 8x10," etc.) that you'll really want to track down a bigger best-of to cover all the bases, but in the meantime, you'll enjoy cranking up tunes like "1982" and singing along. For the past decade or more Travis had been mostly an exclusively gospel-oriented artist, and there are a couple of his Christian country songs on here as well. There's nothing like hearing that great voice of his, that's for sure! Plus a little bit of mashed potatoes and chicken-fried steak never hurt anybody...
Randy Travis "Blessed Assurance" (Spring Hill Records, 2011)
An album of gospel standards by the ever-evangelical Mr. Travis? Sounds pretty sweet to me. He has a real knack for pioneering new material, but going back to the well for more traditional stuff also suits him well.
Randy Travis "Influence Vol. 1: The Man I Am" (Warner Brothers, 2013)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
In recent years, honkytonker Randy Travis has settled into a comfortable path as a Contemporary Christian/country gospel singer, but he's back in secular mode on this well-produced, slightly laid-back album. The songs are a mix of few new tunes along with a slew of classic country oldies such as Ernest Tubb's "Thanks A Lot," Lefty Frizzell's "Saginaw, Michigan," "Trouble In Mind" and "I'm Always On A Mountain When I Fall," and a bunch of other Merle Haggard songs. Travis pays tribute to the late George Jones with a cover of "Why Baby Why" and the album's closer, "Tonight I'm Playin' Possum," a nice, steel-drenched duet with Joe Nichols... Travis also seems to have paid inadvertent tribute to Jones with his recent, highly-publicized arrests for drunken behavior in 2012, as well as his equally tragic diagnosis for viral cardiomyopathy, a subsequent stroke and the resulting emergency brain surgery in the summer of 2013. Jeez. That's hard stuff. Well, it's great to hear him back in action... And we all with Randy the best, and hope to hear more great music in years to come.
Randy Travis "Influence, Volume Two: The Man I Am" (Warner Brothers, 2014)
(Produced by Kyle Lehning)
I was happy to see old-school neotrad singer Randy Travis still getting back to his roots on this set of mostly-covers of country classics such as "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," "Set 'Em Up, Joe," "Mind Your Own Business," and "That's The Way Love Goes." The album was disappointing, though... The first thing you notice is that Travis's voice has changed -- his old, rumbling, deep, mahogonied vocal tones are apparently long gone -- but I could live with that if only the backing band on this album had put just a little more effort into it... Instead, they sound like they're barely going through the motions, which is a shame since Travis deserves better. This is borne out on the album's one really good song, "Tonight I'm Playin' Possum," a well-written George Jones tribute song that has Travis and the band finally putting some feeling into it. Travis might not be able to hit those same low notes anymore, but he can bring a good song to life, and this one's a doozy, even if it was also on Volume One.
Randy Travis "Precious Memories: Hymns And Gospel Favorites" (Spring House Productions, 2020)
Randy Travis was one of the great avatars of the 1980's neotrad scene... He arrived haloed and fully-formed, with a deep, soulful, authoritative voice worthy of the George Jones legacy, and a solid grasp of country's honky-tonk and heartsong traditions. His 1986 major-label debut was a watershed event, the arrival of an indisputable new superstar and one who, for once, totally deserved it. Of course, he eventually dipped into poppier sounds on a tune or two, but overall, Travis remained remarkably true to his hard-country roots. Having instantly conquered the country charts, other interests called to him: a successful acting career was the first detour, and later on, Travis decided to devote himself more or less exclusively to singing Christian music, sometimes still with a country twang. Travis fell on hard times, though, with well-publicized personal indiscretions and health problems that culminated in a 2013 stroke that ended his career as a performer. Over the years, though, his work has always been first-class...Here's a quick look...
Randy Travis "The Randy Travis Anthology: Trail Of Memories" (Rhino Brothers, 2002)
