Randy Travis: Worship & Faith CD and DVD

Randy Travis' 2003 release Worship & Faith provides an excellent experience in worshipping God through the gift of music. Worship & Faith features a blend of hymns, old-time gospel favorites and modern worship songs which we often hear performed by today's contemporary Christian artists. Travis also performs a couple of duets as John Anderson joins him on the hymn "Just A Closer Walk With Thee," and then Randy teams with Third Day vocalist Mac Powell on "Love Lifted Me." Other noteworthy tracks include "How Great Thou Art," "Softly And Tenderly," "You Are Worthy Of My Praise," "Blessed Assurance" and "Above All." My overall favorite here is Travis' rendition of Paul Baloche's "Open The Eyes Of My Heart," a modern worship standard which Randy has adapted to his own musical style, and he does a masterful job of pulling it off. "Worship & Faith" is a great worship album, and I would gladly rank it alongside Michael W. Smith's Worship series and Third Day's Offerings series as one of today's best worship CD's.

This live DVD was released as a companion to the Worship & Faith CD. The concert was recorded on July 15, 2003 at Calvary Assembly God Church in Orlando, Florida. Here, Travis delivers many of the songs from the W&F album, plus "Pray for the Fish" and his country radio hit "Three Wooden Crosses." Comments from Travis and from several fans are added in between songs.

Like its audio companion, this DVD contains a great mix of classic hymns, camp meeting songs and contemporary worship songs. Some of the highlights include "You Are Worthy of My Praise," "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," "We Fall Down" and "Open the Eyes of My Heart." Other noteworthy tracks include "Shall We Gather at the River," "Peace in the Valley," "Above All" and "Love Lifted Me."

Travis closes the show with "Three Wooden Crosses," the first song recorded on a Christian music label to ever top the country music charts. Worship & Faith is a great DVD for lovers of worship music, lovers of country music, as well as for any and every Randy Travis fan. Both the CD and DVD are excellent, and I wholeheartedly recommend both.