Editing Randy Travis (section)

===1990{{ndash}}1992: ''Heroes & Friends'', ''High Lonesome'', and greatest-hits albums===
Travis's first album to be released in the 1990s was ''[[Heroes & Friends]]'', a duets album. Among the duet artists featured were [[Tammy Wynette]], [[Merle Haggard]], [[George Jones]], [[B. B. King]], and [[Clint Eastwood]].<ref name="virgin">{{cite book | title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music | publisher=Virgin Books | author=[[Colin Larkin]] | year=1998 | pages=427, 428}}</ref> According to journalist Gary Graff, Travis had wanted to record a duet album for several years, and he and Hatcher spent over a year and a half arranging for the recording sessions.<ref name="graff">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/237439141 | title=Randy Travis gets fans, if not awards | work=Daily Press | date=November 7, 1990 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | author=Gary Graff | page=C4}}</ref> The album accounted for two singles in "[[A Few Ole Country Boys]]" (a duet with Jones) and title track "[[Heroes and Friends]]" (the only track on the album not to be a duet). Both songs peaked within the top 10 of the country charts between late 1990 and early 1991.{{sfn|Whitburn|2017|pages=365, 366}} Travis performed "Heroes and Friends" at the 1991 CMA Awards telecast, joined by Jones, Wynette, [[Vern Gosdin]], and [[Roy Rogers]].{{sfn|Travis|Abraham|2019|page=123}} Unlike his previous albums, ''Heroes & Friends'' was met with mixed reception from critics. ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'' writer Lee Nichols thought that the album's songs were "not particularly notable, but nonetheless enjoyable".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/364090491/ | title=Randy Travis pays tribute with 'Heroes & Friends' | work=[[Austin American-Statesman]] | date=November 22, 1990 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | author=Lee Nichols | page=23}}</ref> [[Knight Ridder]] writer Dan DeLuca (in a review re-published in ''[[The Anniston Star]]'') praised the duets with Haggard and Jones, and considered the duet version of [[Dolly Parton]]'s "[[Do I Ever Cross Your Mind]]" to be the strongest track, although he also panned the contributions of King and Eastwood.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/106503909/ | title='Heroes & Friends' pairs Randy Travis with country music legends | work=The Anniston Star | date=October 6, 1990 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | page=9}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ew.com/article/1990/10/12/notable-country-album-releases/ | title=Notable country album releases | publisher=Entertainment Weekly | date=December 12, 1990 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | author=[[Alanna Nash]]}}</ref> Despite the mixed reception, ''Heroes & Friends'' certified platinum in 1991.<ref name="riaa"/> Travis also noted that 1990 was the first year in which he did not receive any ACM or CMA awards, but that he was still receiving significant radio airplay and sales, and positive feedback from fans in concert.<ref name="graff"/> 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.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="virgin"/>

[[File:AlanJacksonApr10.jpg|thumb|left|Alan Jackson co-wrote several songs on Travis's 1991 album ''High Lonesome''.|alt=A head shot of Alan Jackson, wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses]]

Travis's next studio album was 1991's ''[[High Lonesome (Randy Travis album)|High Lonesome]]'', led off by the single "[[Point of Light]]".{{sfn|Whitburn|2017|pages=365, 366}} [[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]].{{sfn|Travis|Abraham|2019|page=115}} Because of its inspiration, Travis noted that journalists often asked him about political matters, and he refused to answer them as he did not think the song itself was political.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/389727935/ | title=Travis in his prime | work=Chicago Tribune | date=February 16, 1992 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | author=Jack Hurst | page=11}}</ref> He also performed the song for a number of events intended to honor American soldiers returning from [[Operation Desert Storm]].{{sfn|Travis|Abraham|2019|pages=115, 116}} Next from ''High Lonesome'' was Travis's twelfth number-one, "[[Forever Together]]",{{sfn|Whitburn|2017|pages=365, 366}} one of several songs he wrote with [[Alan Jackson]] while the two were on tour together in 1991.<ref name="bernard">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/92379223/ | title=Travis returns to roots | work=San Bernardino County Sun | date=September 26, 1991 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | page=D1}}</ref> These collaborations also produced the album's next two singles "[[Better Class of Losers]]" and "[[I'd Surrender All]]" between late 1991 and early 1992, as well as Jackson's number one single "[[She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)]]" later in 1992.{{sfn|Travis|Abraham|2019|page=124}} 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]]<ref name="jurek high"/>) and "Oh, What a Time to Be Me". Travis noted that the project contained more songs written by him than his previous ones did.<ref name="bernard"/> Jurek praised the Jackson co-writes in particular, highlighting their lyrics and vocal deliveries in his review for AllMusic.<ref name="jurek high">{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/high-lonesome-mw0000266184 | title=''High Lonesome'' | work=AllMusic | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | author=Thom Jurek}}</ref> Nash also praised the lyrics on the songs co-written by Jackson, while also stating that Travis "never sounded so relaxed or so confident".<ref name="nash lonesome">{{cite web | url=https://ew.com/article/1991/08/30/high-lonesome/ | title=''High Lonesome'' review | publisher=Entertainment Weekly | date=August 30, 1991 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | author=Alanna Nash}}</ref>

Later the same year, Warner released a pair of [[greatest hits]] albums: ''[[Greatest Hits, Volume One (Randy Travis album)|Greatest Hits, Volume One]]'' and ''[[Greatest Hits, Volume Two (Randy Travis album)|Greatest Hits, Volume Two]]''. In addition to featuring most of his hit singles to this point, the projects also included four new tracks and the album cut "Reasons I Cheat" from ''Storms of Life''.<ref name="beyer">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/465004394/ | title=Travis collection guaranteed to be around for a long time | work=The Ottawa Citizen | date=October 31, 1992 | accessdate=January 19, 2024 | author=Susan Beyer | page=H3}}</ref> Among the new tracks, "[[If I Didn't Have You (Randy Travis song)|If I Didn't Have You]]" and "[[Look Heart, No Hands]]" both went to number one upon release as singles that year. [[Skip Ewing]] and [[Max D. Barnes]] wrote the former, while [[Trey Bruce]] and [[Russell Smith (singer)|Russell Smith]] wrote the latter.{{sfn|Whitburn|2017|pages=365, 366}} Despite these songs' successes on radio, their follow-up "[[An Old Pair of Shoes]]" reached number 21 upon release in early 1993.{{sfn|Whitburn|2017|pages=365, 366}} Both greatest-hits albums certified platinum in 1995.<ref name="riaa"/>