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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A CURE FOR THE COUNTRY IDENTITY CRISIS, July 15, 2008
Let's face it. Country Music is a mess right now as a raft of new "talent" attempts to take the genre by storm with no more real Country Music involved than you would find among a group of hit rappers from Motown!
Reenter one of Country Music's greatest modern performers: Randy Travis. AROUND THE BEND should reestablish Travis as the consummate Country star he is and has always been. This album is vintage Randy Travis and, as such, every track makes it onto my favorites list. There simply isn't a bad track here!
So, is this one for all Country fans? As I noted in the beginning, the Country identity crisis will dictate that most of the new arrivals will find Travis' music far too conventionally Country for their liking. And that's just fine.
But, if you're tired of trying to figure out what is going on with Country Music, AROUND THE BEND will set things straight for you.
THE HORSEMAN
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22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fine--although not perfect--return to form., July 15, 2008
Randy Travis's AROUND THE BEND isn't a perfect country album...although it's pretty darn close. There are a few tracks that don't quite live up to expectations: the cliched "Love is a Gamble," the ramblin' closer "'Til I'm Dead and Gone," the heard-it-before "Turn It All Around."
The thing is...those tunes don't way the album down at all. The strength of the other songs--particularly the ones I'm about to mention--carry the album to the heights we might expect. I mean, let's face it: a Randy Travis album is gonna be listenable, at the very least. The guy is perhaps the greatest singer in the past 25 years of country music history. His voice conveys so much emotion, he can turn a stereotyped clunker into a masterpiece.
Fortunately, the writing here is (for the most part) so strong, he doesn't need to work that hard (an obligatory plug for Travis's own songwriting, though none is featured on this album: the man can write...and should, much more often). "You Didn't Have a Good Time" and "Faith in You" are outright killers; they'll go for you heart and leave you thinking. "Every Head Bowed" is a nice witty number (sung with a tongue planted firmly in his cheek, and a twinkle in his eye), as is "Everything That I Own (Has Got a Dent)." Even his cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" is a nice change of pace, turning the slightly-country folk tune into a slightly-folky country shuffle.
Overall, AROUND THE BEND is a wonderful return to form for Randy Travis. There's still the Christian themes that newer listeners may expect, but we also have some of the old twang-and-steel country that long-time fans have come to admire (and, let's face it, miss a little). His voice is still the best in the business, and his song selections (despite a complete absence of original material) is above par. He can take a good country song written by somebody else, and turn it into a great Randy Travis song. And that's what he does throughout this album. If you're looking for great country music, look no further than Randy Travis.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Randy Travis' "Bends" the Right Way, July 15, 2008
Prime Cuts: Dig Two Graves, Faith in You, Love is a Gamble
Years ago Randy Travis used to canvass the country chart with hits such as "I Told You So," "Look Heart, No Hands," and "Whisper My Name" amongst many others. However, ever since 2003's "Three Wooden Crosses," Travis has yet to reach the turret of the country singles chart. Looks like this portentous dry spell is not about to lift anytime soon, considering that this album's lead single "Faith in You" failed to find traction with country radio and missed the Billboard country singles chart completely. Such an atrocity is unforgivable given that "Faith in You" is a gorgeous string-laden ballad that testifies to love's instigative prowess to those downtrodden by the wails of life's cares. Brimming with religious overtones, "Faith in You" can function both as a love song to Jesus as well as to a significant other. Though this CD is this former CMA Male Vocalist of the Year's return to commercial country music since 2004's "Passing Through," Travis often weaves his religious faith into these paeans giving them a spiritual depth and dimension that is often inspirational.
Despite its morbid sounding title "Dig Two Graves" is a story song coming from the pens of Bob Regan and Ashley Gorley about the blissfulness of marital love. Though it's a solid ballad with spades of emotional investiture from Travis' sensitive delivery, "Dig Two Graves" may not be the best follow-up single. After all, its proximity in terms of its tempo and sentiments to "Faith in You" may not be advantageous after radio's tepid response. Much better in terms of single potential is Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." Boasting a lilting feel with its jazzy overtones, producer Kyle Lehning has transformed this rocker about a man who is set to leave his no-good paramour into a gentle fiddle drenched delight that would certainly set your feet tapping. If "From Your Knees" sounds like a song from George Strait's repertoire, it's because it's written by one of Strait's favorite writers, Leslie Satcher. Another Nashville's scribal dignitary Hugh Prestwood who penned Travis' "Hard Rock Bottom of My Heart" gets an entry here with "Love is a Gamble." Refusing to settle for any dicey moral stances, this understated acoustic guitar-driven ballad is a clarion call to open our hearts to love others unconditionally.
In keeping with all of Travis' country CDs, there's always room for some raucous laughter and fun. Refusing to take life too seriously, the infectious "Everything I Own (Has a Dent)" is littered with humorous lines such as "I guess her haert's like that old dead goldfish I forgot to feed." For some exceptional fiddling extravagance, take a listen to Larry Franklin's bullet train fiddling on "Til I Am Dead And Gone," which is a exhibition of Travis' session players in their glory on an otherwise average uptempo. Despite using his baritone to great effect, it's hard not to notice that middle age has caught up with Travis vocally. On various tracks such as the title track and "Fain in You," Travis has not been able to hit the higher notes as well as he used to. And in today's competitive market of Rascal Flatts, Keith Anderson and Taylor Swift, the uptempoes lack the energy and drive to make Travis grist for the penthouse position on the chart again.
Despite the quibbles, "Around the Bend" is consummate Randy Travis. He does not betray the neo-traditional path he has had blazed all those years ago for today's country music. With fiddles, steel, and acoustic guitars at the fore without sacrificing an iota of its contemporary edge, Randy Travis' "Around the Bend" is still a formidable CD to reckon with.
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