Randy Travis

Of all the cool new country stars, expect Randy Travis to last the longest. George Strait has
everything but radar: you can't be Merle Haggard and Eddy Arnold. Ricky Skaggs has
chops, but he's only one out of two in the high-and-lonesome department. Dwight Yoakam
may be for real, but how will he wear? There's no telling what he'll look like with the
three-inch jowls of a grade-A Nashville survivor. Next to John Anderson (already... More >

With his rotogravure cover and spare instrumentation, Nashville's hot new thing cultivates an aura of neotraditionalist quality, as is the fashion these days. Fortunately, the quality at least is real. He sounds like an unspoiled John Anderson singing the material of a lucky George Strait. The two hits are the two side-openers are the two best, and neither could have been written by anybody who didn't work nine-to-five thinking up puns and angles. (Grade: B+)