Randy Travis just released a totally new song and country fans aren’t sure how to feel about it.

The response to “Where That Came From” gets to the heart of an issue living on the fringes of the genre to this point. Lawmakers, music executives and artists are worried about the affects of artificial intelligence in music.

Travis and his production team gave AI a bear hug.

• “Where That Came From” is Travis’ first new recording since a 2013 stroke left him with limited ability to speak.
• In the decade since, he’s released previously unheard recordings and reissues and generally maintained a presence in the format.
• Producer Kyle Lehning confirmed to CBS News that they used AI to recreate Travis’ voice for the song. The full interview is set to air on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend.

Randy Travis, “Where That Came From” Review

Scotty Emerick and John Scott Sherrill wrote “Where That Came From,” a mid-tempo heartbreaker that can be only described as timeless. Their ability to paint a vivid scene with just a few words — nine total in each chorus — is remarkable, and Travis is just the singer to turn a few polite details into a full-blown story.

With bittersweet acceptance the narrator describes a love he once new. At the end he mentions trying to move on but the notion is merely an afterthought. Anyone interested in writing country music should have this song on repeat.

That nobody is talking about that is understandable, if a bit of a bummer. How the song was created is the story.

Reaction To Randy Travis’ New Song

A more detailed look at how AI generated Travis’ voice will come on Sunday but the technology remains a mystery and we tend to fear mysteries. Criticism is mostly aimed at what this means for the future, not what it means for Travis, a man who so dearly wants to make music again.

The usual curmudgeons are shaking a fist but if you look closely at social media you find the foolish consistency known to be a hobgoblin of little minds is missing. Old-school purists are embracing “Where That Came From” at a pace equal to those who aren’t.

“I know he’ll probably never see this, but the fact that @randytravis has released a new song today has this 43 year old man in tears,” @DAdams419 shares. “His voice was the soundtrack to my childhood as his Storms Of Life cassette was the first album my Papa ever bought me! God bless you Mr Travis!”

There is hardly consensus on this topic. Several on social media said that the use of AI is fine because Travis personally endorsed the song. Others — arguably most — simply don’t care how the song was made.

“When my mom was in hospice, she quite responding. Then one day, I heard her humming to a Randy Travis song while I was in another room,” shares @regina7329.

There’s little doubt these kinds of notes mean everything to the 64-year-old. However approval from another group may mean just as much.

Country artists have been universally supportive of Travis and “Where That Came From.” Cody Johnson shared video of his first listen with a caption that reads, “This is incredible.”

Parker McCollum cursed he was so excited.

Expect more music from Travis down the road and expect additional tour dates. That’s right, “additional.”

Long ago the Country Music Hall of Famer figured out how to take his show on the road again. There are 10 dates planned for 2024, but if the song and album take off he just might be inclined to work it a bit harder.