Randy Travis Album: “Worship & Faith”

Description :

Personnel includes: Randy Travis (vocals, acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (acoustic & gut string guitar); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin); Larry Beaird (acoustic guitar); Jerry Douglas, Paul Franklin (dobro); Larry Franklin (fiddle); John Mock (tin whistle, concertina, bodhran); Eric Darken (percussion); Wes Hightower (background vocals). <p>Randy Travis was a charter member of the coterie of country artists that earned the term "New Traditionalists" in the 1980s, and he's remained true to that appellation ever since. Consequently, an album full of religious material, which might have turned into an overproduced affair in lesser hands, turns out to be a tasteful, pleasingly economical outing, based around simple, organically acoustic arrangements and plainspoken-but-heartfelt vocal performances. <p>It's clear from the outset--with a jazzed-up, Western-swing-style version of "He's My Rock, My Sword, My Shield"--that the listener is in for a pleasant ride. And from the bluegrass feel on the old chestnut "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" to the lazy stroll of the redemptive "Peace in the Valley," Travis proves that he's able to invest spiritual standards with new life, while remaining respectful of their collective weight.