Randy Travis suffered a stroke in 2013, rendering one of the greatest artists in Country Music unable to sing.  A few years ago we were gifted with an album of previously recorded songs, the 2020 album Precious Memories (Worship & Faith).  It featured tracks recorded LIVE ten years prior to the stroke and included a single made from an old 80's demo recording. It allowed us to hear his voice on new material one more time.  But last week, Travis dropped a brand new recording, "Where That Came From". It's touted as "new Randy Travis music", but it's all AI.  The industry is now capable of taking dozens of old recordings of a voice that doesn't exist anymore and creating new music with that very voice.  It's perfect.  It's smooth.  It's beautiful.  It sounds like Randy Travis.  But Randy Travis' "Storms of Life", his breakthrough LP and platinum album, featured a voice that wasn't perfect.  It had expression, highs and lows, little breaks, that sometimes stoic delivery that was all Randy Travis. It was a very important album in 1986, one of this writer's all-time favorites. . .featuring 10 outstanding country songs that ushered in a wave of Traditionalism on Country Radio. I don't want Patsy Cline back. I have her old recordings and it's a treat to hear her in Mandy Barnett's voice, just like you can hear Alan Jackson's voice in Cody Jinx songs.  What's the point of recording original, unique voices that strongly influence others in the genre if we can simply clone them?  Listen below and compare.

 

photo credit: Andy1981