I Told You So - The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis

He recorded under the name Randy Traywick back in 1978 with the curiously titled “I’ll Take Any Willing Woman” but he didn’t chart under the name Randy Travis until 1986’s Storms Of Life yielded a #1 hit, “Diggin’ Up Bones,” an endearingly dated and twangy tune that opens up this two-disc collection of compiled singles. You can hear hints of that cold, over-polished, urban cowboy production in late ‘80s songs such as the Carrie Underwood-covered title track, but Travis’ buttermilk smooth baritone warms everything up like a campfire. His duet with the late Tammy Wynette on Merle Haggard’s “We’re Strangers Again” is a highlight, especially in those stunningly gorgeous harmonies. And his 1997 cover of Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” puts some lighthearted fun in the mix. Of the two new songs here, “Turn It Around” is slightly gritty, mid-tempo country pop that comes off like timeless Travis basted in rootsy honky-tonk instruments and soaring vocals. The pedal steel heavy “You Ain’t Right” is a two steppin’ insta-hit, serving to remind us that Travis is still a king of new traditional country.