Customer Reviews

Glory Train: Songs of Faith Worship & Praise

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Randy Travis recorded this terrific album of old-time Gospel songs with a respect that can be felt as well as heard. There is a feel of yesterday here. Travis and his friend and producer Kyle Lehning gave this wonderful compilation of Christian songs from days past excellent yet restrained productions, keeping the focus on the songs themselves and their message.

The effect is a feeling that the listener is outside an old church during the depression where these songs were sung all across small towns in the country. Randy Travis is a legend in country music who found his brand of real country given little or no play on so-called country stations anymore. Rather than change his style and sell out, Travis and his producer actually went deeper into country music's origins than ever before, tracing it back to the old Gospel tunes still etched in many memories. The results have been an entirely new audience hungering for something just like this.

1) This Train - This song is just fantastic and starts this effort off with a bang. This Train is a clean train and a great sounding one too.

2) Swing Down Chariot (with The Blind Boys of Alabama) - This is pure guitar swing, waitin' for the home on the other side.

3) Precious Memories - Just beautiful. There's nothing more to say.

4) Shout to the Lord - The melody and arrangement of this sound like a pretty country love song. One of the best on an album full of great songs.

5) Down By the Riverside - A great song of war and loss with an uplifting ambiance nonetheless.

6) Nothing But the Blood - A slower version than the one Amy Grant and Vince Gill recorded. Different but very pretty.

7) Were You There? - A very sobering song sung perfectly.

8) Up Above My Head (I Hear Music) withThe Blind Boys of Alabama - This is an inspirational happy Christian song.

9) He's Got the Whole World In His Hands - Just what you'd expect and just the way it should be sung.

10) Heart of Worship - A song of coming back into focus when we lose sight. Regret and revelation in one breath.

11) Jesus On the Main Line - A bouncy song of using prayer af if it were a direct phone line to the heavens. Just a great song.

12) Through the Fire (with The Crabb Family) - A Christian song of understanding just how hard it can be to believe and keep faith when times are hard.

13) Here I Am to Worship - Just offering our time and heart to God in song.

14) Oh Death - A short but sweet song of tradition pondering the life which never ends.

15) Nobody Knows, Nobody Cares - What a marvelous song. Travis is great here singing about lonely and the one person who's always there when no one else cares.

16) Since Jesus Came Into My Heart - A fun song of what happens when we make room in our lives for something more.

17) O How I Love Jesus - The title tells all.

18) Are You Washed In the Blood of Jesus? - A traditional Christian song which is more than just food for thought in the hands of Randy Travis.

19) Precious Lord, Take My Hand - The album ends on a mournful plea for someone higher to take our hand so we don't fall, and help us back up when we do. A plea to lead us home and a fine way to conclude this wonderful album.

Glory Train is one of the finest Gospel albums to come out in a long long time. Even those who would not normally pick up an album considered Christian will enjoy the sheer beauty of some of these songs. You'll also be sorry Travis doesn't get the same country radio play as some of the "hip" young pretend cowboys whose big claim to fame is a pair of tight jeans and a new cowboy hat.

Randy Travis burst on the scene with Storms of Life and those who love his music haven't gone away and Travis hasn't either. Hopefully he will continue to release a country album once in a blue moon also just to remind us what real country sounds like.

This is something really special. If you doubt just how great this 19 song CD is, just take a listen to track 4, Shout to the Lord. It is one of the prettiest Christian songs ever written, and it has never been sung more beautifully than Randy Travis does here. It easily stands beside any of the love songs Travis took to the top of the charts. Grab your ticket and get onboard the Glory Train and take a trip with Travis into our Christian past.

Rarely do I describe a record as "beautiful." But then, I don't listen to much gospel. Nor, really, do I consider this album a "gospel" album. You can if you want to--it has all the usual fixin's. I simply consider it a Randy Travis album--which is reason enough to rejoice, even without the presence of the Almighty.

I've always said that Randy Travis was meant to sing country...and I still say that now. His voice is like none other. It just so happens that, when he turns his growly baritone to songs of faith, he can melt an atheist's heart. These songs--most of them classics--deal with every aspect of faith, and Travis's delivery, and Kyle Lehning's production, never misses the mark. GOSPEL TRAIN is a record to be reckoned with, and not just because it has God and an entire faith backing it. Call it gospel, call it acoustic, call it country...call it another great Randy Travis record.

Glory Train is another stellar offering of gospel gems by Randy Travis. The variety, both musically and selection wise is superb. Randy uses that expressive and emotive barritone beautifully here. "Were You There" makes this listener,wish they had been. He gives it such importance and power. "Up Above My Head" and "SWing Down Chariot" with the vocal harmonies of the Blind Boy's Of Alabama make these such enjoyable listening. The entire album is a genuine touch of trials and triumps, sung by one of the greatest country stylist of all time. Don't miss out on the blessings this album has to offer. Great job once again, Randy.

By: Michael Coyle

How do you give an objective review to a CD of prayer and devotion for God? Before listening to Randy Travis's new CD, Glory Train: Songs of Faith, Worship, and Praise, I had to cross myself in the hopes that I wouldn't dislike it and be struck down by lightning for my honest opinion. Luckily, Mr. Travis, who is a "country god" in his own right, can do no wrong. On this CD of classic Christian and gospel standards, this reformed "bad boy" sings the praises of the Lord with a cross between the piety of a servile preacher and the baritone of a well-trained choirmaster. In fact, it is the beautiful contrast of his deep Southern drawl with the angelic sounds of his background choir that give songs such as "Were You There" and "Heart of Worship" such majesty. Then there are other number like "Swing Down Chariot" and "Up Above Me," both with the Blind Boys of Alabama, that blend together to create the perfect harmony. Many of these songs have a history way beyond that of even Mr. Travis's extensive career, but he manages to reform them into countrified rejoices of faith like as if you had just entered some up creek Alabama Baptist Church in the 1960's. All 19 tracks tend to be perfectly crafted with subtle melodic production making this CD truly a unique religious experience.

CountryInterviewsOnline.net

I've been a fan of Randy Travis since his 1986 debut, STORMS OF LIFE. While I still enjoy his secular albums, Travis's warm baritone is the perfect instrument for gospel music, and GLORY TRAIN (his fifth gospel album in six years) is arguably his best. A key difference on this album is the song selection, which includes a number of traditional spirituals and no fewer than three songs by Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Standout tracks include the two songs with the Blind Boys of Alabama providing backround vocals: "Swing Down Chariot" and "Up Above My Head (I Hear Music in the Air)." Other highlights include "This Train" (with backing vocals by members of the Cox Family), "Nobody Knows, Nobody Cares" and the rollicking "Are You Washed in the Blood?"

Slip this disc into your CD player and every day is Sunday Morning. Gospel music never sounded so good. [Running Time 62:46] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I was so excited, even though I am a new Randy Travis fan, to receive and enjoy this album. I am never dissapointed with a Randy album. But this album is one of Randy's best vocally- if not THE best.
The album is very acoustic and natural. The rythm is kept by an upright jazz bass and expertly played guitars and banjos. I noticed heavy drumming is absent as these instruments create quite a tight rythm on their own. The album is a mix of Sister Rosetta Tharppe songs, Negro spirituals, hymns, and modern praise and worship songs. This would be an impossible feat for many of today's country artists to pull of since they rely on Pro Tools to correct their vocal maladies. But Randy Travis, a born talent who's voice has only sweetened over the years, will both surprise and delight you with his delivery. The hymns are smooth, the worship songs truly full of sincere praise to the Lord, and the Negro spirituals have perfectly placed vocal accents. It is obvious from the first listen the vocal work of Randy was not recorded separately from the work of the musicians, as is commonplace with today's technology.
Randy has a talent for letting his voice slide over rythm like honey, but this won't be the only sound you hear. He carries a Negro spiritual from beginning to end with more enthusiasm and jive than a rock band drummer. Who needs loud drums when he can touch quarter tones like that? Randy just KNOWS what note should come next. His voice alone is capable of carrying each song from beginning to end. For those with a musical ear, it's a candy rarely sampled in today's music.
The music is also a fantastic treat. All natural instruments create a rich texture that leaves today's pop music sorely lacking in artistic presence. The praise and worship songs are gorgeous and not over orchestrated at all. If anyone would dare call them that, I invite them to take a DEEP listen to a Mutt Lange album!
Five stars just can't cut the mustard. "Glory Train" is a truly spiritual album with excellent feeling that only Randy could bring. It is too unfortunate that radio is ignoring his music. But then, I would expect the supporters of today's cookie cutter acoutic pop dubbed "country" to ignore such beautiful, artistic music and unbeatable vocal talent! :)

Kitka

Another chance to enjoy Randy's rich baritone vocals on a fine selection of inspirational songs. The recordings are perfect, and reminiscent of the early days. It's clear that whatever song Randy sings, he makes it emotional, deep, raw and way beyond the powers of lesser artists. Truly a living legend!

This generous collection of many standards from the gospel and "mountain soul" tradition is priceless. Randy sings them with genuine feeling and fervent conviction; you truly believe in his belief in every word he sings. The instrumental accompaniment is professional to the nth degree with some dizzyingly fast guitar and Dobro solos. Yet for all the virtuosity the musicians convey warm tones and heartfelt emotions throughout. Randy Travis brings new meaning to these timeless standards.

I like RT because he is not afraid to explore his own musical directions, wherever the spirit may take him. The old time spiritual feel is complimented on this collection of recordings by a masterful interpretation on Travis' part. Congrats on a big success :) A song I wrote called "Changes" is modeled after the Travis graceful style.

GLORY TRAIN: Songs of Faith, Worship & Praise
Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, once again, this exceptionally talented artist comes through. "Glory Train: Songs of Faith, Worship and Praise rolled into town on October 25 offering 19 tracks that are almost indescribable. Unlike its fully gospel predecessor "Worship & Faith" many of the songs on this release were not as familiar to me but many of them quickly became some of my favorite randy Travis tunes to date. Whereas on "worship & faith" some of the more upbeat songs ended up being my favorites, with "Glory Train" I found just the opposite. Of course that's not to say I dislike any of the songs, perhaps just lean more toward the slower hymns and praise presentations this time around.

Once again, backed by acoustical blue-grass musical arrangements, these tunes that are quite familiar to the Christian arena now have that country Christian feel to them that only randy Travis can offer. What also sets this aside from the other three are the astounding background vocals offered by such guests as the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Crabb Family just to name a few.

Whether you are a fan of more traditional hymns or the praise songs, whether you like the more up-tempo songs or the slow tunes, there is a little of each for everyone. From the beginning starting out with the more upbeat tunes of "This Train" and "Swing Down Chariot," and continuing on through the tracks, the CD concludes with the slow baritone offering by randy of "Precious Lord, take My Hand" which is truly one you don't want to miss.

If by chance you've already checked out the sound clips, rest assured as good as they sound, they do not do the entire project justice; they only touch the tip of the iceberg in knowing what this CD and artist have to offer.

Don't let this CD get away; this is a true treasure.