Editing Randy Travis (section)

===2008{{ndash}}2011: Return to Warner and Carrie Underwood version of "I Told You So"===
In 2008, he released his next studio album ''[[Around the Bend (album)|Around the Bend]]''.<ref name="allmusic"/> The project was his first country music release since ''A Man Ain't Made of Stone''.{{sfn|Travis|Abraham|2019|page=165}}<ref name="jeff">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/498744523/ | title=Simpson's country debut a good effort | work=[[The Leader-Post]] | date=September 6, 2008 | accessdate=January 20, 2024 | author=Jeff DeDekker | page=B1}}</ref> The album also placed him back on Warner, which had been a distributor of his Word Records releases.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/498655286/ | title=Randy Travis returns to country roots | work=The Leader-Post | date=July 28, 2008 | accessdate=February 2, 2024 | author=Deborah Evans Price | page=B3}}</ref> Travis promoted the album in an interview with [[WSM-FM]] radio host Bill Cody.{{sfn|Travis|Abraham|2019|page=165}} He also released its lead single "Faith in You" as a free download from his website.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=1483 | title=Randy Travis offers free download | publisher=Country Standard Time | date=March 11, 2008 | accessdate=January 20, 2024}}</ref> "Dig Two Graves" was the project's second single.<ref name="jeff"/> In addition to these songs, the album included a cover of [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[Don't Think Twice, It's All Right]]".{{sfn|Travis|Abraham|2019|page=165}} Jeff DeDekker of ''[[The Leader-Post]]'' noted that while it was not marketed as a Christian album, individual songs still held themes of "redemption and the afterlife".<ref name="jeff"/> He praised the lyrics of "Dig Two Graves" and Travis's singing voice in particular.<ref name="jeff"/> Erlewine criticized the use of a [[string section]] on "Faith in You", but otherwise reviewed the album's song selection and Travis's voice with favor.<ref name="bend">{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/around-the-bend-mw0000784592 | title=''Around the Bend'' | publisher=AllMusic | accessdate=January 20, 2024 | author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref> Despite not being explicitly marketed as a Christian album, it won Travis his eighth and final Dove Award, in the category of Country Album of the Year.<ref name="dove"/>

[[File:191125 Carrie Underwood at the 2019 American Music Awards.png|thumb|right|Carrie Underwood had a hit in 2009 with a rendition of Travis's "I Told You So".|alt=A bust shot of Carrie Underwood in a purple dress]]

[[Carrie Underwood]] recorded a cover of "I Told You So" on her late-2007 album ''[[Carnival Ride]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/carnival-ride-mw0000497335 | title=''Carnival Ride'' | publisher=AllMusic | accessdate=January 20, 2024 | author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref> Her version was released in January 2009 as the album's fifth single. Two months after her rendition was released to radio, disc jockey Jesse Tack at [[WUBE-FM]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] combined Underwood's recording with the vocal track from Travis's original and distributed the results to 75 other radio stations. Due to the popularity of the combined recording with radio listeners, Underwood and Travis performed the song together on ''[[American Idol]]'' soon after.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/102968511/? | title=B105 DJ to see superstars perform his creation | work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] | date=March 17, 2009 | accessdate=January 20, 2024 | author=John Kiesewetter | page=A1}}</ref> The two also recorded an official duet version, which was sent to radio as well.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tasteofcountry.com/carrie-underwood-randy-travis-i-told-you-so/ | title=Remember when Carrie Underwood sang a duet with Randy Travis? | publisher=[[Taste of Country]] | date=March 18, 2017 | accessdate=January 20, 2024 | author=Sterling Whitaker}}</ref> With both Travis and Underwood receiving chart credit, the duet version of "I Told You So" peaked at number two on the country charts in 2009, and accounted for Travis's highest overall ''Billboard'' Hot 100 peak of number nine.{{sfn|Whitburn|2017|pages=365, 366, 374, 375}} The duet won both artists the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.<ref name="grammy"/>

Travis continued to record for Warner at the time. To honor the 25th anniversary of ''Storms of Life'', he released ''[[Anniversary Celebration]]'' in 2011.<ref name="allmusic"/> The album consisted entirely of collaborations, on both re-recordings of Travis's previous singles and new songs.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://abc7chicago.com/archive/8040308/ | title=Randy Travis celebrates 25 years with friends | publisher=ABC 7 | date=March 29, 2011 | accessdate=January 20, 2024}}</ref> 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"). Alan Jackson contributed to a medley of Travis's "Better Class of Losers" and Jackson's "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)", both of which the two co-wrote. George Jones, [[Lorrie Morgan]], [[Ray Price (singer)|Ray Price]], [[Connie Smith]], [[Joe Stampley]], and [[Gene Watson]] all provided vocals to the track "Didn't We Shine". Karlie Justus of Country Standard Time highlighted these tracks in particular among the strongest.<ref name="justus">{{cite web | url=https://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=4688 | title=''Anniversary Celebration'' | publisher=Country Standard Time | accessdate=January 20, 2024 | author=Karlie Justus}}</ref>