Another first gospel project from another music legend. Lest anyone doubt Randy Travis' sincerity in recording Christian music, it should be noted that Randy has spent four years making
I will readily admit that I'm not a country music fan, so I can't really comment on this musically. Randy Travis is a country artist with a more traditional country sound, sometimes bluegrass, so consider this album based on your own musical tastes. And I can't really critique Randy as a songwriter, because he co-wrote only a quarter of the album. People are probably going to like this album for two reasons: Randy's distinctive voice (which was made for country music) and his choice of gospel/country songs. Since there really isn't a lot of Christian country music out there, I would think there's a market for it.
Randy chose a fine collection of quality gospel songs for this project, and none of them feel contrived (with the possible exception of "Dr. Jesus," which makes a solid emotional plea for help despite the title). Most of the songs are simple country with beautiful, sometimes poetic expressions of faith set to them. Although Randy didn't have a strong hand in the songwriting, the collection nevertheless sounds semi-autobiographical, probably because Randy took so much care in selecting the songs. So whether you're a fan of traditional country music, solid gospel tunes, or simply Randy Travis and his voice, I think you'll be pleased with the honest faith expressed on