A Man Ain't Made of Stone

This batch of twelve new cuts finds Randy Travis mining a familiar vein – accessible songs and a sparkling production polished to US country radio perfection.

The songs, none written by Travis himself, come from a range of sources. Troy Seals and Mentor Williams’ ‘No Reason To Change’ gently trucks along in restrained toe-tappin’ gear; the snappy ‘I’ll Be Right There Lovin’ You’ not only packs a lethal chorus, but is one of those list-type lyrics that provide endless fascination for trainspotters; and there’s some especially sweet fiddling on ‘A Heartache In The Works’ from Aubrie Hayney.

For a brief moment on ‘A Man Ain’t Made Of Stone’ the guitar threatens to go all Keith Richards on you but, unfortunately, chickens out. And that’s where the album disappoints. You suspect that Travis might just occasionally like to let rip but decorum always reigns supreme. No shocks and no surprises then, just Randy doin’ what he