New Randy Travis Album of Unreleased Songs “Same Old Way” Coming
Ever since we lost the voice of Randy Travis in 2013, the wish and the hope has been that somewhere out there might be a trove of material the world has never heard before from this one-in-a-million voice in country music. It was Randy Travis along with George Strait and Keith Whitley that helped save country music in the mid ’80s, and it’s a shame that two of those voices are now gone.
Randy Travis and his camp were one of the very first to experiment with using AI to attempt to re-create the Randy Travis experience. But luckily, it seems they have come to the conclusion that for now at least, that’s not exactly what people were praying for when they prayed for the return of Randy’s voice, or unheard material from him. Now many Randy Travis fans are finally getting their wish.
To be released on November 13th, Same Old Way assembles Randy Travis songs recorded from 1986 to 2013 during previous album sessions that were ultimately never released. Randy’s long time producer Kyle Lehning helms the project, assembling the songs from the Randy Travis archives, and remixing and remastering them into one cohesive project. The result is 12 more original songs to add to the Randy Travis catalog.
Though some love to cast off these archive releases as odds and sods, a few recently releases from other country legends should at least give you hope to hear the results, including archive releases from Waylon Jennings and Don Williams. Perhaps it’s a commentary on the quality of some of today’s country music, but often these archive releases are better than the new music recorded in the present tense.
Ahead of the new album, multiple songs have already been released, including “Fish On” on July 10th, and “I Don’t Care” on August 7th. The announcement of the new album is accompanied by the release of the title track (listen below), which also happens to be the only song Randy Travis ever co-wrote with producer Kyle Lehning.
Same Old Way is now available for pre-save.
TRACK LIST:
1. “I Know Where I’d Be Without You”
2. “Fish On”
3. “I Don’t Care”
4. “Just Read The Signs”
5. “Mission Of Love”
6. “I Catch ‘Em”
7. “There’s No Getting Over You”
8. “They Called It A Church”
9. “One Tear At A Time”
10. “Same Old Way”
11. “My Greatest Fear”
12. “Set The Blues Back”
September 4, 2026 @ 10:22 am
My Greatest Fear is from the Black Dog soundtrack, no? So 11 unreleased songs.
Side note – need to go watch that movie again
September 4, 2026 @ 11:17 am
He has one of the greatest voices in country music. This is one to look forward to.
September 4, 2026 @ 12:18 pm
I love Randy Travis. I was 13 when Storms of Life came out and have loved Randy’s music from the start. His voice is truly a once in a lifetime and one of the best ever like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakam, Tammy Wynette, Keith Whitley and Raul Malo and very few others. But, ever since his current wife & management put out that AI song, in addition to the tribute concerts with James Dupre singing his songs I just have a fear (maybe crazy to have) that these songs could also be AI and not from the archives or we’d have already heard them. I sincerely hope I’m wrong, but that first AI song to me was in bad taste, don’t have artificial computer intelligence fake Randy’s amazing voice.
September 4, 2026 @ 12:21 pm
These songs are not AI generated. It would be inexplicable that there weren’t additional songs left over from Randy’s recording sessions over his career to compile into an album. There always is. The lie would be if they said there weren’t, because it would be such as stark anomaly from a major label artist, it would be suspicious.
September 4, 2026 @ 3:46 pm
Where That Comes From was a beautiful song and the AI-constructed vocal was great. It sounded exactly like him – mainly because the computer was fed with genuine Randy vocals. And he approved it.
September 9, 2026 @ 6:15 pm
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo. Strongly disagree. Art is art. Not computer generated. My opinion I know but think about it. It’s getting out of control and it’s wrong. Very wrong.
September 10, 2026 @ 3:13 am
The song ‘Where I Come From’ was not computer-generated. It was written by professional songwriters Scotty Emerick (who has written five number 1 hits) and John Scott Sherrill (who has written eleven number 1 hits). It’s a beautiful song.
Randy’s vocal was AI-generated based on original recordings of his own voice laid down in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The phrasing and inflections of this vocal are those of original singer James Dupré. The record was produced Kyle Lehning, who produced nineteen Randy Travis albums.
September 4, 2026 @ 12:21 pm
I honestly believe we go a little far with the whole Randy Travis saved country music thing, there has been a stigma on an era of country music that had great music. The Urban Cowboy era, while maybe the instrumentation was not classic, there were great songs. I also think it is why you will eventually see guys like Luke Bryan and others in the Hall of Fame, but guys like Earl Thomas Conley, Bellamy Brothers, Mickey Gilley and others may never get in, because for some weird reason that era has a black eye. I think a lot of it is because we praise Randy so much for saving us from that era, like it was worse than bro country or something.
September 4, 2026 @ 12:57 pm
Wait. Are you saying Luke Bryan’s “great songs” will someday get him into the Hall of Fame? Which ones, pray tell, might those be?
September 4, 2026 @ 1:34 pm
No, what I meant was guys with great songs like Earl Thomas Conley and some others are not getting in, because we talk so bad about that era, but a bunch of guys like Luke Bryan with awful songs are gonna end up being in.
September 4, 2026 @ 1:51 pm
I’m not meaning to actively run down ’80s country by elevating Randy Travis. I do think it’s true though that the genre was in a creative and commercial malaise at that time, and Randy helped pull it out. Maybe it’s hyperbolic to say he “saved country music” at that time. I was sort of quoting Zach Top in that moment. But I’m certainly not trying to run down other artists by saying that.
September 4, 2026 @ 8:06 pm
Wanna know how bad things were in the early 80s? At one point, 2 out of 5 county albums sold were by Alabama.
September 5, 2026 @ 2:14 pm
How is that bad?
Alabama made some great country music. Timeless stuff. I recently saw them in concert and 60% of the crowd were under-30 and knew every word.
September 5, 2026 @ 7:27 am
Maybe those songs will keep him & FGL out! It’s sad that the names mentioned probably won’t get in. There have been a lot of artists that are eligible to go in, but probably won’t see it. Martina McBride is a shoe in and is eligible, but her name never gets tossed around. Garth & Tim seems to think their wives deserve to go in. Last I checked they kinda dropped out of the music scene for a while.
September 4, 2026 @ 1:00 pm
glad someone else said what i was thinking, and i would add, it wasn’t just Strait, Whitley and Travis who “saved” country music. i know this article isn’t about that, but since it was brought up in the article, let’s not forget Yoakam, Skaggs, Judds, Reba and many others.
September 4, 2026 @ 1:08 pm
Randy brought the traditional country sound back in the mainstream with his debut, paving the way for those ’89 guys.
Dwight definitely delivered a harder sound, but because he came from the West Coast, Nashville ignored him. However, they tried to capitalize on the momentum of both Randy and Dwight by releasing Ricky Van Shelton in 1987—one of the greatest country singers of his time, though sadly forgotten now.
September 9, 2026 @ 6:24 pm
I hope to God we will never see Luke Bryan in the Hall of Fame. Somebody else deserved to be making music in his place. In my humble opinion, he has never recorded anything worthy to be recognized as HOF worthy. All schlop. There’s a reason why his record label almost dropped him in the early 2000’s. He was below average at best. There are plenty of other artists that you mention that are far worthy f Hall of Fame cognition. Luke should be remembered for shaking his hips in his late 40’s and acting like he was 20. Move on please.
September 4, 2026 @ 12:48 pm
Unless we’re given the AI treatment again, this release will probably be better than 99% of the other releases this year.
However, considering Travis’s rapid transformation from a singer of nice, trad-country in the smooth, safe Strait-alike style (Storms of Life, 1986) to slick Nashpop with choir and saccharine coating (Always & Forever, 1987, Old 8×10, 1988), we should not expect some rousing barnstormers with crying steel and fiery fiddle breakdowns or any songs remotely as good as “Reasons to Cheat” and “On the Other Hand”.
The somber (and complicated) facts are these: if his debut album had hit the streets in, say, 1990, it wouldn’t have been a watershed release at all because there were too many mediocre songs on it. But then again, back in 1986, it sounded like a lost Lefty Frizzell album from the 1950s compared to the contemporary hot shots. Ironically enough, it opened the doors for Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Mark Chesnutt, and Garth Brooks a few years later—all of whom effectively pushed Travis further into oblivion by playing the very kind of country music he had brought back into the mainstream in 1986.
Randy is a victim of his exceptionally good debut album (for it’s time), a fate he shares with Clint Black (timeless debut).
September 4, 2026 @ 1:29 pm
I saw Randy in concert at one of the Connecticut casinos around 1993 or 1994. His show was way too heavy on the Nashpop you describe, the worst of which was his unnecessary cover of “Just a Matter of Time.” He abandoned his roots just as Ronnie Milsap had years before, except Ronnie was always part of the Nashville machine, but the twangy, fiddle-and-steel part of it rather than the schmaltzy one.
September 5, 2026 @ 2:16 pm
Ronnie can play the piano and picked good writers like Mike Reid.
September 5, 2026 @ 5:28 pm
And he could belt out a crossover “countrypolitan” number like “It Was Almost Like a Song.” His voice was just as suited for that sort of material as it was for his early hits like “What Goes On When the Sun Goes Down” and “Pure Love,” while Travis’ was much more effective on the traditional tunes that dominated his first two albums. Milsap’s piano didn’t figure into his music until he went the crossover route.
September 4, 2026 @ 2:11 pm
Perhaps a lot of the importance of Storms of Life comes from timing, but I will not stand for the idea that there are mediocre songs on that album. There is no weak track. And I honestly don’t know where you think his follow up albums are much different than his debut. He’s always had a smoother, mellower sound with a traditional flavor. Some of his 90s output is a little more of it’s time (not in a bad way, if you like the 90s country sound like most) but your take on his albums is one I’ve never heard, and disagree with.
September 5, 2026 @ 2:17 pm
Black was too good out of the chute. It cost him a timely HOF nod.
September 4, 2026 @ 3:23 pm
So far i havent heard a good song yet off this album. Just my opinion. They just sound like songs that werent good enough to make albums at that time. Now there will be fans that will want to listen regardless just like i love to hear beatles outtakes and demos. But as a fan who liked a fair number of his songs but not all, im not that type of fan of his. To me there is a big difference between this and don williams album. Dons album has plenty of songs that are just as good if not better than many songs he had released, for whatever reason don just never released them. So far this album seems like it has a lot of stuff that just wasnt or isnt good enough for a normal album but is good enough for his diehard fans so its ok.
September 4, 2026 @ 3:52 pm
“So far I haven’t heard a good song yet off this album. Just my opinion. They just sound like songs that weren’t good enough to make albums at that time.”
I agree, these songs were unreleased for a reason. (I’m also skeptical of the origins of this material, as well.) Sadly, the suits in Nashville will milk the cows dry in an attempt to make a few bucks off gullible fans.
September 4, 2026 @ 4:34 pm
I would agree that the songs released so far have been pretty underwhelming. But I think it’s really, really irresponsible for people to just assume this is all AI. I think the dated nature of these singles in many ways refutes that. Again, if someone at Warner Nashville had released a statement saying Randy Travis left no additional singles behind form his album projects, that’s when I would become suspicious. Randy Travis already did the AI thing. Clearly they learned it was extremely polarizing. To try and release music surreptitiously as AI would run a severe risk of undermining his entire legacy and could open up the people involved to lawsuits. It just wouldn’t happen. And by casting aspersions, you’re really being irresponsible to the people involved. Yes, we should all keep our eye out and be mindful of AI. But those accusations can be very damaging to artists.
September 4, 2026 @ 8:22 pm
There are several Randy Travis songs that were not included on his albums but can be found on YouTube.
The following were non-album B-sides:
-Can’t Stop Now
-Tonight I’m Walking Out on the Blues
-Young Guns
-This Day Was Made for You and Me
-Brinks Truck
These two new songs were included on his I Told You So compilation album:
-Love’s Alive and Well
-You Ain’t Right
These covers were included on tribute/compilation albums:
-Chiseled in Stone
-Mama Tried
-Everybody’s Had the Blues
-Jingle Bell Rock
Finally, two random selections!
-Make it Through (Duet with Linda Davis) from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack
-Casper the Friendly Ghost (movie soundtrack)
September 5, 2026 @ 4:05 pm
Also “Nowhere Man” on a Beatles tribute album.
September 5, 2026 @ 5:53 am
This is a pass for me. I’d much prefer to listen to Randy Travis’ Greatest Hits album, than a bunch of warmed over previously unreleased tracks. For me, the ‘new’ stuff doesn’t hold the same thrill of RT’s country chart toppin’ days. This album would be for hardcore Randy Travis fans who are completists. Cheers & Twangs!
September 5, 2026 @ 7:22 am
He also had a song on the “Rustler’s Rhapsody” soundtrack called “Prairie Rose”.
September 5, 2026 @ 9:15 am
Mary is going to squeeze every dime out of everything she can.
September 6, 2026 @ 4:20 am
Lib Hatcher left Randy in a bad place businesswise. Why do you have a problem with Mary?
September 5, 2026 @ 2:19 pm
Unfortunately, it is unlikely this release will be good. Generally, songs are shelved for a reason.
September 5, 2026 @ 3:08 pm
I dont get why people call this a money squeeze. No one is being forced to buy it and they are releasing songs from it so people can hear them up front. Like i said, its mainly for frontline type fans and those people will gladly spend money for it. Others dont have to.
September 5, 2026 @ 3:51 pm
I don’t consider it a money squeeze either, and it’s not like it,ll top the charts. These songs exist. Let the public hear them.
September 5, 2026 @ 6:48 pm
So if anyone read his autobiography and saw any interviews about it immediately after its release, they (he and Mary) made it pretty clear that due to many advances of royalties through the years Randy owes Warner quite a bit of coin. Of course Warner wants their money back. It’s also why a month doesn’t go by there isn’t a press release about something Randy Travis related. It’s why he’s at every awards show, etc. They gotta keep his name in the news so that streams and other royalties regardless how sparse keep accruing.
September 6, 2026 @ 3:42 pm
For years following his 2013 stroke, Travis and his wife Mary learned he wasn’t receiving traditional royalty checks from Warner Bros. because his classic recordings still had unrecouped advancements against royalties.
In 2022, Warner Music Group enacted a legacy royalty program that waived unrecouped balances for artists who signed before 2000 and haven’t received new advances since.
Because Travis originally signed with Warner Bros. in 1985 and qualifies under this legacy initiative, the label stopped applying his historical unrecouped balance against his ongoing earnings. He is able to receive current royalties from his catalog and streaming.
September 6, 2026 @ 5:14 pm
Interesting thank you for the update
September 12, 2026 @ 11:25 am
I do not support AI. This is NOT AI. I will opine that this is a tremendous song wIth Kyle. I listened 3-4x – it’s as good as anything in 2026, IMHO. I was not expecting this – but damn, this is truly good country music, and it’s real Randy Travis. Let’s enjoy these songs…happy for Randy! Waiting to hear the entire album…