This Is Me

by Randy Travis

Overview

This Is Me, his first album in three years -- after a pair of greatest-hits albums and a vanity project -- shows that while Randy Travis may have been takin' care of other business, his talent hadn't gone anywhere. He kicks things off with a bang on "Honky Tonk Side of Town," which exploits all of Travis' strengths in one song, from its shuffling swinging honky tonk blues melody to his shifting and rolling vocal inflections to the burning guitars, singing fiddles, and Pig Robbins' unmistakable piano tinkling. Before a feminist listener can catch her breath, Travis jumps back in with another uptempo bluesy number that will have her laughing at "Before You Kill Us All." There are fine midtempo country ballads here too, including Trey Bruce's brilliant "Whisper My Name," among the greatest songs Travis has ever recorded. The backing vocals by Suzy Ragsdale, Darrell Scott, and Verlon Thompson set the tune apart and accent what a grateful love song this is. There are few of these in country music, and of the ones that do exist too many are overly sentimental. This one rings like the stone truth. Larry Gatlin's "Runaway Train" is given proper choogling treatment here, with acoustic guitars ushering in Travis' vocal before the band underlines it all with sheer momentum and gives the title and lyric ass-kicking honky tonk credence. Gatlin's gift for metaphor is nearly singular, and Travis exploits it to the fullest here. On the Kieran Kane-penned "Gonna Walk That Line," Travis runs through his best George Jones bass singing, and Mark O'Connor's fiddle lifts a modern Ernest Tubb-styled barroom tune to a sophisticated, swinging elegance. The set closes with "Oscar the Angel," the only overly sentimental song on the album and its weakest link. The message of the tune is fine, but it's pure corn. At least it's the last track. This Is Me is a better effort from Travis than anybody had any right to expect, and proves he is still a force to reckon with. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	04/26/1994
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624550129

Tracks

1. Honky Tonk Side of Town
2. Before You Kill Us All
3. That's Where I Draw the Line
4. Whisper My Name
5. Small Y'All
6. Runaway Train
7. This Is Me
8. The Box
9. Gonna Walk That Line
10. Oscar the Angel

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Randy Travis   Primary Artist,Vocals
Jerry Douglas   Guest Artist,Dobro
Doyle Grisham   Guitar (Steel)
David Hungate   Bass
Jay Spell   Piano (Electric)
Mark Casstevens   Guitar (Acoustic)
Hank Singer   Fiddle
Tom Roady   Percussion
Dennis Burnside   Keyboards
Lisa Silver   Vocals (Background)
Steve Gibson   Guitar (Electric)
Verlon Thompson   Vocals (Background)
Dennis Wilson   Vocals (Background)
Sherilyn Huffman   Vocals (Background)
Jim Hoke   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Kayton Roberts   Guitar (Steel)
Diane Vanette   Vocals (Background)
Brent Mason   Guitar (Electric)
Billy Joe Walker, Jr.   Guitar (Electric)
Darrell Scott   Vocals (Background)
Bruce Dees   Vocals (Background)
Harry Stinson   Drums
Cindy Richardson Walker   Vocals (Background)
Larry Byrom   Slide Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
John Wesley Ryles   Vocals (Background)
Hargus "Pig" Robbins   Piano
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)
Suzy Ragsdale   Vocals (Background)
Biff Watson   Guitar (Acoustic)
Chris Leuzinger   Guitar (Acoustic)
Larrie Londin   Drums
Paul Leim   Drums
Curtis Young   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

James Paul O'Hara   Composer
Jamie O'Hara   Composer
Doug Sax   Mastering
Jason Lehning   Mixing Assistant
Marshall Morgan   Engineer
Thom McHugh   Composer
Bobby Braddock   Composer
Steve Tveit   Assistant Engineer
Jerry Phillips   Composer
Garrett Rittenberry   Design
Jason P. Stelutto   Production Assistant
Simon Levy   Design
Firooz Zahedi   Photography
Kirt Odle   Mixing Assistant
Don Schlitz   Composer
Janice Azrak   Art Direction
Jerry Steve Smith   Composer
Eddie Selser   Composer
Neal Merrick Blackwood   Assistant Engineer
Keith Follese   Composer
Max T. Barnes   Composer
Randy Travis   Composer
Toby Seay   Engineer
Tom Shapiro   Composer
Buck Moore   Composer
John Kunz   Assistant Engineer
Roger Brown   Composer
Troy Seals   Composer
Trey Bruce   Composer
Kieran Kane   Composer
Kyle Lehning   Mixing,Producer
Larry Gatlin   Composer
Joe Bogan   Engineer