Nineties-country game changer Randy Travis is set to mark a milestone in the genre’s history. The traditionally-inspired star has remastered his iconic Storms of Life album, and he’ll release it this fall.
Marking the 35th anniversary of Storms of Life — first released in 1986 — the new album will not only feature a fresh infusion of modern-studio energy, but also comes with a few new songs. Three never before heard tracks will be included, as Travis salutes an album that changed the course of country history.
Arriving into a pop-leaning era that saw country lose some of its rootsy flavor, Storms of Life was a return to the good-old days, sung by a North Carolina native with a booming baritone. The project struck a chord and helped kick off the ’90s neo-traditional movement, which eventually also included artists like Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Clint Black and more. And decades later, Travis is now a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Storms of Life (35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) will be released on September 24, and Travis still thinks fondly of the original.
“I love the timeless lyrics and the traditional country instruments, like steel guitar, banjo, piano, fiddle,” he says in an official statement. “It was music I believed in, that told a story I wanted to share. We were fortunate to have a large catalog of songs to choose from that were more traditional. At the time, people and radio really weren’t playing this kind of music. Most people were recording more of an urban cowboy sound, so I got to choose from the best of the best, cream of the crop. It was exciting for all of us to get back to our roots.”
Pre-orders for Storms of Life (35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) start August 27. The project is the latest in a series of new releases made from previously-recorded but never released tracks, as Randy Travis continues to recover from a devastating stroke in 2013.
Storms of Life (35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) Track Listing:
1. “On The Other Hand” (Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz)
2. “The Storms of Life” (Max D. Barnes, Troy Seals)
3. “My Heart Cracked (But It Did Not Break)” (Ronny Scaife, Don Singleton, Phil Thomas)
4. “Diggin’ Up Bones” (Al Gore, Paul Overstreet, Nat Stuckey)
5. “No Place Like Home” (Paul Overstreet)
6. “1982” (Buddy Blackmon, Vip Vipperman)
7. “Send My Body” (Randy Travis)
8. “Messin’ With My Mind” (Joseph Allen, Charlie Williams)
9. “Reasons I Cheat” (Randy Travis)
10. “There’ll Always Be A Honky Tonk Somewhere” (Steve Clark, Johnny MacRae)
– Unreleased Tracks –
“Ain’t No Use”
“Carryin’ Fire”
“The Wall”
*All tracks prodcued by Kyle Lehning, except “On The Other Hand” and “Reasons I Cheat” produced by Lehning and Keith Stegall.