POP REVIEW : TRAVIS HAS A PROBLEM OF IDENTITY

Everyone loves a winner. So Randy Travis already had a capacity crowd in his corner when he walked on stage Tuesday at the Crazy Horse Steak House in Santa Ana, one night after winning four top awards at the Academy of Country Music Awards show.

But such industry and popular acceptance so early in a young career can engender almost impossibly high expectations.

So on one hand, Tuesday’s performance by the 28-year-old singer from North Carolina only hinted at the greatness suggested by the hyperbole that has dubbed him heir apparent to such country greats as Lefty Frizzell, George Jones and Merle Haggard.

“On the Other Hand,” to borrow the title of his award-winning song, his “Storms of Life” album is a promising debut, though not without the weakness that plagues so many first outings--namely, the lack of a strong personal identity that is forged only with time and experience.

As on the album, Travis in concert echoed Jones and Haggard far too much for comfort. (Although as Woody Allen said in “Manhattan” after being accused of imitating God: “I’ve got to model myself after somebody.”)

But while Travis unarguably possesses the sound of a great singer, he hasn’t yet developed the control, the shading or the maturity required to bring the all-important authenticity to a lyric like “The storms of life are washing me away.”

Even after a relatively brief set, Travis also underscored the shortcomings of a shallow repertoire when, for an encore, he repeated his 1986 hit “Diggin’ Up Bones,” another sign that he needs significantly more seasoning before being elected to country music’s Valhalla.

But that’s the trouble with expectation inflation. Taken on his own terms as a newcomer who was virtually unknown just one year ago, Travis is a personable performer with loads of potential. During “Reasons I Cheat,” one of his own songs, Travis cut loose and broke through the vocal reserve that characterized much of the show and came through with a genuinely compelling performance.

So it would be a shame if all the awards and applause lead Travis into the valley of the shadow of repetition. What he needs most now is not pressure to win more awards, but the chance to explore his own identity, perhaps make a few mistakes but ultimately, and quite literally, discover his own voice.