Review Summary: Randy Travis storms onto the Country scene just in time to save Nashville from its own bullshit
Imagine the fucking state of Nashville in the 80s that they were rejecting artists because they were “too country”. Caught in the throes of the Urban Cowboy movement, a glitzy, pop-infused abomination spurred by the inexplicable popularity of a tepid John Travolta flick, it seemed that Nashville was caught deep in a spiral of crossover pandering and increasing irrelevance. Randy Travis, then performing under the unlikely moniker Randy Ray, was an anomaly on this scene, a straightforward, down to the roots country singer with about as much crossover appeal as Howdy Doody. After numerous rejections from major labels (supposedly because his sound was “too country”) he wound up languishing as a bar cook until a live demo finally got the attention of Warner Bros. As they say, the rest is history. Travis released Storms of Life, which became a smash hit and saved country music forever. Ok, not quite, but with Storms of Life Travis at least staved off country’s slide into cornball pop-rock for at least a decade while releasing what was probably the strongest debut in mainstream country of the decade.
Everything about Storms of Life signaled a return to country’s roots, from the sepia tinted cover art to the second single “1982”, a no-frills bawler of a cover, re-arranged and updated from its original title, “1962”. Opener and lead single “On the Other Hand” merely solidifies this notion, an ode to the pain of fidelity that takes a fresh look at a subject that has long been a mainstay in country music to the point of being a cliché. Backing instruments are limited to tinkling barroom piano, fiddle, steel guitar and the standard bass/guitar/drums combo, and each is given scant bars in which to shine before Travis brings the focus back to his nasal, charismatic baritone. The fact that there’s not a synthesizer or electric guitar to be seen at any point in the album drives home the fact that for Randy, country was beholden to tradition rather than trends, a principle that, when adhered to, would give him the finest moments of his career. This artistic integrity gives Storms of Life a clear-cut cohesiveness and sense of purpose that carries its momentum far beyond the singles, giving the album a consistency rarely seen in mainstream country records.
Make no mistake though, despite the back-to-the-roots approach that Travis embraces, this album practically glistens with shiny, commercial-sounding production. The instrumentation is polished and impeccable technique-wise, and Travis’s warm, twangy baritone is given all the backing it needs to be the indisputable centerpiece of the record. The tracks on the album, all except two of which were penned by someone other than Travis, are meticulously curated and arranged, each strain of the steel guitar and fiddle lick polished to the point of perfection. It makes for an album that’s eminently listenable, however, there’s a lurking sense that without Travis’s warm charisma the music would settle into overpolished disposability. As it is, the strengths of the band more than serve to support Travis, who carries the album with nary a misstep, the overproduction only a detriment in that it's a slightly dated reminder that the glitz of 80s commercialism would never be that easy to escape from.
When it was released, Storms of Live was hailed as a breath of new life to a genre that had become bloated by excess to the point of collapse. Its massive success paved the way for a new wave of neo-traditional artists to continue a mainstream revival of traditional country that lasted well into the 90s and set Travis on a long and storied career that would have many ups and downs over the decades. Today, the album holds up surprising well, despite the blindingly polished production, an effortlessly accomplished debut that shows Travis at his most consistent, as well as at his overall best. It’s an album that, by ignoring trends and sticking to the roots of the genre, retains a kind of timeless quality that belies the fact that it exists as a clear reaction to the trends of its time. With Storms of Life, Randy Travis would cement his place, along with George Strait and Dwight Yoakam, as among the greatest mainstream country artists to come out of the 80s.
