Details
Track Listing
1. If I Didn't Have You
2. 1982
3. Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart
4. On the Other Hand
5. Honky Tonk Moon
6. Old Pair of Shoes, An
7. I Told You So
8. Too Gone Too Long
9. Heroes and Friends
10. Deeper Than Holler
11. Reasons I Cheat - (bonus track)
Album Notes
Personnel includes: Randy Travis (vocals, guitar); Billy Joe Walker Jr., Dean Parks, Doyle Grisham, Larry Byrom, Skip Ewing, Brent Mason, Mark Casstevens, Russell Barenberg, Teddy Irwin, Bobby Thompson, Kenny Bell, Chris Leuzinger, Tom Rutledge (guitar); Steve Gibson (guitar, dobro); Kayton Roberts (Hawaiian Steel guitar); Bela Fleck (banjo); Mark O'Connor (mandolin, fiddle); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Paul Franklin (pedal dobro); Terry McMillan (harmonica, percussion); Kirk Johnson (harmonica); Shane Keister, Dennis Burnside, Bobby Wood, Kyle Lehning, Pig Robbins (piano, keyboards); David Hungate (bass); Larrie Londin (drums); Tom Roady (percussion).
Engineers include: Joe Bogan, Kirt Odle, Keith Odle.
The impact Randy Travis had on country music was immense. He arrived on the scene with such ease, wooing fans with his syrupy smooth baritone and musical style deeply rooted in tradition, that no one was threatened by the revolution he was instigating. Leading a pack of new traditionalists, Randy took his contemporary-sounding country music to commercial heights never before seen in the genre. With proper manners, good looks and a toothy smile, he bucked the trend and redirected country from the pop/Urban Cowboy road it had veered off on. It was Travis who became Nashville's first bonafide superstar.
Although songs like "1982," "On The Other Hand," "Reasons I Cheat" and "I Told You So" sound like they come from a bygone era, Travis makes the subtle steel and fiddle work sound almost secondary to his deep, bottomless vocals. "Honky Tonk Moon" and "Too Gone Too Long" display Randy's lighter, Texas-swing side, delivered in jazzy, honey-lined tones. One important aspect of Randy's career is his choice of material. No artist can go wrong with such well-written, emotional creations as Hugh Prestwood's "Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart" and the sharply written love ballad, "Deeper Than The Holler." Influenced as much by Hank Williams as he was by Merle Haggard and George Jones, Randy effortlessly chases his music, ropes and ties it; all done in an unhurried, uncluttered style that is truly deeper than any holler.
Randy is a preserver of the traditional country music flame, as proven in his tribute song "Heroes And Friends." From honky tonks and ballads to upbeat swing numbers, Travis takes control on this greatest hits package, proving that he is an important and enduring presence on the country music scene.
Industry Reviews
..Spare, earnest, and Dobro-fueled ...these songs dragged country back to its bare roots in the mid-'80s, and they still sound high and lonesome.. - Rating: A-
Entertainment Weekly (11/27/1992)
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