We review the new record by Josh Turner – Country State of Mind – ahead of its release on Friday.
Josh Turner returns tomorrow with a flawless collection of twelve songs paying homage to Country music icons, including Randy Travis, John Anderson, Johnny Cash, Vern Gosdin and Hank Williams – Country State of Mind.
The heritage of Turner’s knowledge of country and upbringing lays thick over the entirety of the album, yet it feels neither corny nor dry, there is something fiercely traditional yet current about this record, combining the best of modern country – from Chris Janson to Runaway June and Maddie and Tae – with Turner’s uniquely deep vocal.
The record opens with Keith Whitley’s 80s hit ‘I’m No Stranger To The Rain’ that seems built for Turner’s vocal, breathing new life into this big hit and making it totally his own. Turner then turns to his first duet ‘I’ve Got It Made’ – duetting with the man who initially recorded the track, John Anderson – that will be unfamiliar to some fans of country music, but is a poised choice for the record, bringing back the sound of 90s country and infusing it with new life.
Changing up decades again, Turner turns to the 70s duetting with Kris Kristofferson on his 1973 ‘Why Me’ that is a powerful moment on the record, with the pair’s vocals fusing together sublimely on this country-gospel track.
For the title track on the record, Turner is joined by Chris Janson, trading off vocals on this driving track. For a song that has been extensively covered in the country consciousness, the two manage to reinvent the track as if it was being recorded for the first time – the result something really special.
Elsewhere on the record, Turner provides some flawless solo renditions of classic country tracks, including ‘I Can Tell By The Way You Dance’ and Alan Jackson’s ‘Midnight in Montgomery.’ The former is one of the high points on the record, flawless production reinventing the classic track.
Another truly special moment is provided on ‘Forever and Ever, Amen’ recorded by Randy Travis, where Travis himself joins Turner – his first studio session since his 2013 stroke, and on ‘You Don’t Seem To Miss Me’ and ‘Desperately,’ where Turner partners with country superstars in the making, Runaway June and Maddie and Tae. Here, the trade-off in harmonies is flawless and poised, showing Turner’s ear in his choice for vocal partners, with the best in modern country partnered with the best in classic country tracks.
Turner’s choice of tracks for the record shows his deep love and knowledge for the genre, as does his shrewd choice of duet partners matched to the tracks and to Turner’s own vocal. The record is a suave and sophisticated project. While some huge hits are covered, Turner has managed to reinvent these to breath fresh life into them and in deeper cuts he shows his love for the genre that he has called his home throughout his career. If anyone has lived in a Country State of Mind it is Josh Turner – this, his love letter to the genre that embraced him is something truly special.
Editor’s Picks
Forever and Ever, Amen (w/ special guest Randy Travis)
I’m No Stranger To The Rain
I Can Tell By The Way You Dance
