Reviewed by Phil Thomson

I'm tempted to say, you name it, Randy's sung it - such is the sweep of this album; the sleeve strap-line 'Songs of faith, worship and praise' leaves nothing to chance. There are trads and standards: "This Train" (Sister Rosetta Tharpe), "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands"; and treatments of old hymns: "Nothing But The Blood", "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart", "Are You Washed In The Blood"; so you could be forgiven for thinking that the songs have been around forever. Yet when the country star gets his rich vocals around any song, you're probably hearing something for the very first time. Less convincing are the songs here by new writers such as Matt Redman ("The Heart Of Worship"), Tim Hughes ("Here I Am To Worship") and Darlene Zschech ("Shout To The Lord"). These kinds of songs just do not suit who Randy is. So, something for everyone, but a little uneven in places. Yes, there's mesmerising depth, warmth, a little bit of angst mixed with the sweetest conviction of a voice well-travelled, but all 19 at one session could leave you drained by the experience. Sometimes Randy Travis is ponderous, as in "Were You There", sometimes plain perfunctory - "Jesus On The Mainline" is an example; but with an absolutely perfect production, you can always rely on his brand to be blessed up, packaged and delivered as the purest Christian country you can find. For all those who like their music with its boots on.

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