Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis has officially announced Same Old Way, his first album of completely new material in more than 18 years. The 12-track project is scheduled for release Nov. 13 through Warner Records Nashville and brings together previously unreleased recordings made across Travis’ recording career from 1986 through 2013.
The album’s announcement arrived Friday, Sept. 4, alongside the release of its title track, “Same Old Way.” Travis co-wrote the song with his longtime producer and friend Kyle Lehning, marking the only song the two have written together and Lehning’s first major songwriting credit. Lehning discovered the recordings in Travis’ archives and assembled, remixed and remastered them for the new collection.
“Same Old Way” follows two other songs already released from the project, “Fish On” and “I Don’t Care.” “I Don’t Care,” released Aug. 7, was co-written by Travis and Michael Curtis and came from the same collection of previously unreleased recordings.
The complete album includes “I Know Where I’d Be Without You,” “Fish On,” “I Don’t Care,” “Just Read The Signs,” “Mission Of Love,” “I Catch ’Em,” “There’s No Getting Over You,” “They Called It A Church,” “One Tear At A Time,” “Same Old Way,” “My Greatest Fear” and “Set The Blues Back.”
The recordings were made before Travis suffered a stroke in 2013 that left him with lasting effects on his speech and language abilities. The material therefore features Travis’ original vocals from the period when he was actively recording and performing. The project is separate from recent releases that used artificial-intelligence technology to assist in recreating his voice.
Travis described the album’s arrival in baseball terms, saying, “Team Travis helped me run the bases on this one, and it feels like a home run.” He also said it was a joy and blessing to bring new music to his listeners.
The release comes during a significant year in Travis’ career, marking 40 years since his 1986 debut album, Storms of Life. That record established him as one of country music’s leading figures and began a recording career that produced numerous No. 1 hits and major industry honors. Travis is also continuing his More Life Tour, which is scheduled to conclude in November after visiting more than 50 cities.
Same Old Way is now scheduled to arrive Nov. 13, with the newly released title track serving as the latest preview of the 12-song collection.
