[4] He also enjoyed listening to country music such as Ernest Tubb and Patsy Cline, in addition to singing, playing guitar, and writing his own songs.

[10] The contest consisted of eight semi-final audition rounds held every Tuesday at Country City USA, a nightclub co-owned by Randy's future wife, Mary Elizabeth "Lib" Hatcher.

[22] Hatcher also rented her in-house office space out to other industry executives, including staff of Radio & Records magazine; meanwhile, Randy Ray continued to work on his songwriting under Stegall's mentorship.

Nick Hunter, who promoted singles to country radio for Warner, noted that the song was popular in sales and listener demand despite its initially low chart peak.

[54] An uncredited review in Billboard also described Travis's voice with favor, additionally stating that " He has the material—introspective lyrics and gorgeous melodies—and the understated, classic country production here to make the most of his gifts.

"[55] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Jack Hurst also compared Travis's voice favorably to both Frizzell and Merle Haggard, while also praising the lyrics of the singles in particular.

[79][80] Thom Jurek's review for AllMusic praised Travis's vocal deliveries on "It's Just a Matter of Time" and "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" while also calling Lehning's production "flawless".

[80] In a review for Cash Box magazine, Kimmy Wix described "He Walked on Water" as having "detailed lyrics to which we can all relate" and thought the song was well suited for Travis's voice.

[85] In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Alanna Nash thought that "[t]he guests show up more to bolster Travis's profile than to actually perform full-out", although she praised Loretta Lynn's duet vocals on "Shopping for Dresses".

[82] Relatedly, Mansfield and Colin Larkin both observed that in the early 1990s, Travis's success began to diminish as newer artists such as Clint Black and Garth Brooks grew in popularity.

[1] George H. W. Bush, then President of the United States, commissioned Schlitz and Thom Schuyler to write the song as a tie-in to his "thousand points of light" campaign for volunteerism.

[91] Jackson also co-wrote the track "Allergic to the Blues", while Travis wrote "I'm Gonna Have a Little Talk" (featuring backing vocals from gospel group Take 6[92]) and "Oh, What a Time to Be Me".

According to Travis, the touring hiatus caused some fans and news reporters to believe he had retired,[96] so he asked his publicists to put out press releases indicating he was "merely taking a break".

He and Hatcher joined with Jeff Davis, another former manager of Travis's who was then working with Brother Phelps, to assemble a backing band for the Las Vegas shows, which included Lehning as keyboardist.

[96] To promote the album, Travis hosted an episode of the TNN talk show Music City Tonight; the network also re-aired the Country Radio Seminar concert.

[96] Jurek praised the lyrical contributions of Trey Bruce, Larry Gatlin, and Kieran Kane, and considered "Whisper My Name" to be "among the greatest songs Travis has ever recorded".

[107] Country Standard Time writer Don Yates found the influence of honky-tonk in certain songs and praised the lyrics and vocal delivery of "Are We in Trouble Now", but criticized "Would I" as "gimmicky" and closing track "Ants on a Log" as "trite".

[116] Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time criticized the heavy drums on "I Did My Part", but otherwise praised the use of acoustic instruments and the strength of Travis's voice.

[117] Lincoln Journal Star writer L. Kent Wolgamott noted the presence of fiddle and steel guitar in the production while also calling Travis's voice "expressive".

[14] The title track (also co-written by Burr) was a top-20 country hit by year's end, but the other singles—"Where Can I Surrender", "A Little Left of Center", and "I'll Be Right Here Loving You"—all failed to reach top 40.

[121] Shortly after his departure, Travis said in an interview with Country Standard Time that he chose to leave DreamWorks because he felt the label was not properly distributing the album to stores.

Through a connection Lehning had with Word Records executive Barry Landis, Travis was signed to that label in late 2000 and released the gospel album, by then titled Inspirational Journey.

[123] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly was less favorable, as she thought that the album had strong opening tracks but added that "midway, it deteriorates into Nashville formula, with simplistic homilies [and] overblown production".

[155] Among the artists involved were Zac Brown Band ("Forever and Ever, Amen"), Kenny Chesney ("He Walked on Water"), and Jamey Johnson ("A Few Ole Country Boys").

George Jones, Lorrie Morgan, Ray Price, Connie Smith, Joe Stampley, and Gene Watson all provided vocals to the track "Didn't We Shine".

"[164] In 2015, he made a guest appearance at the Academy of Country Music awards ceremony, where Lee Brice paid tribute to him by singing "Forever and Ever, Amen".

Brian Mansfield wrote in AllMusic that "At a time when most were still pursuing the pop-oriented sound of the Urban Cowboy craze, Travis's strong, honest vocal style and relatable songs of everyday life helped launch the New Traditionalist movement".

[93] Cusic found influences of Waylon Jennings and Ernest Tubb in tracks from Storms of Life, highlighting conventionally country lyrical themes of "lost love" in "1982" and infidelity in "Reasons I Cheat".

[132] Reviewing You and You Alone, Jeffrey B. Remz wrote that "He generally remains tried and true to his roots dishing out ballads with his usual great vocal phrasing...Travis doesn't rush through the songs, delivering them in a passionate, understated singing style".

[192] Coinciding with the release of You and You Alone, Travis starred alongside Patrick Swayze in the film Black Dog, playing the role of a country music singer.