Journey On

Ty Herndon, who had country success in the ’90s with “What Mattered Most,” is the latest artist to narrow the gap between country music and Christian music. While inspired by Southern gospel, his spiritually themed Journey On displays a decidedly safe pop-country feel at times—“The Rest of My Life” could fit well on a Phil Vassar album with its lush piano and peppy melody. Ty’s polished and warm voice is attention-grabbing on the a cappella intro to “Today,” though he abandons some of his Southern phrasing for this outing. The earnest “Blur the Lines” and guitar-driven “The Man I Am Today” should appeal to fans of contemporary worship artists like Chris Tomlin. Reba Rambo-McGuire (daughter of the late Dottie Rambo) sings backup and Southern gospel songwriter Wayne Haun wrote several tracks with Ty, who co-penned the entire disc. The Christian community has already embraced Ty’s duet with Lizzy Long, “When We Fly,” which won a Dove Award for Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year. While Ty plays it safe with middle-of-the-road tunes, his leap into Christian music feels real and wholehearted on Journey On, a logical progression on his musical path.