In 2000,
Randy Travis
devoted himself to
gospel
music, and 2004's
Passing Through
is the fourth religious record he cut since then, but there's a difference here: instead of focusing on explicitly Christian material,
Travis
has collected a set of songs and stories about how faith affects life. It's
inspirational
music in the purest sense -- it doesn't preach, it instructs and inspires through its carefully observed tales. Musically,
is classic hardcore
country
, alternating between sentimental
ballads
and straight-ahead
honky tonk
and
country-folk
. Similarly, the songs themselves tell tales that are classic
, but the difference is that each has a subtle message or religious undercurrent to it. It all makes for a very strong album, either in
contemporary Christian
terms or by a purely musical yardstick, and it's further proof that
's
traditionalist country
continues to reap considerable rewards. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine