In 1986, Randy Travis helped push country music back in a traditional direction with the success of his debut album, the instant honky-tonk classic Storms of Life. Since then, of course, the pendulum has swung back, with country losing much of its soul in its bid to embrace pop.
Travis, thankfully, has changed little. That was made clear during his headlining gig Saturday night at WXTU-FM's 15th-anniversary bash at the E-Centre. He injected a little rock edge into some of his newer material, and the volume of the band occasionally overwhelmed his vocals, but the deep-country style that seemed fully formed at the start of his career remained firmly in place. Fiddle and steel guitar were an integral part of his eight-piece band, not the afterthought they often are with contemporary country acts.
