Josh Turner photo courtesy of Universal Music Group Nashville.
October 30, 2007 — When the Grand Ole Opry tapped Josh Turner as its newest member on October 27, country music's caretakers brought into the fold a young artist many see as the future of the traditional country sound. And today, as his third studio album, Everything Is Fine, hits stores, Josh makes a strong case that the future is now. It is a collection of songs that justifies any lofty expectations, and it hints that part of Josh Turner's plans for preserving his favorite style of music just might include changing it.
"It can be so easy and so tempting to get caught in a rut," says Josh, discussing the album. "I'm always looking for songs that evoke an emotion or have that traditional feel to it. At the same time, I'm trying to stretch it beyond its boundaries and reach those fans that may not ever listen to traditional country music the way it is now."
It's a philosophy that has produced plaque-worthy results. After selling over one million copies of his stellar debut CD Long Black Train, Josh stiff-armed the sophomore slump as he went on to double those numbers with his next record, Your Man. It was one of only four albums in 2006 to earn double platinum status.
"It obviously struck a chord with the public," Josh says. "And it gained a lot of new fans. Those songs on Your Man were very cohesive and fit together so well. I just wanted to accomplish the same thing on this record."
This time around, Josh did a great deal of his own creative heavy-lifting to achieve that goal, writing seven of the record's 12 tracks. Highlights of Turner-penned songs include the catchy and clever first single "Firecracker," as well as the celebration of his roots in "South Carolina Low Country." Josh even found inspiration from the silver screen for his raucous song "Trailerhood."
"I was watching this movie, "Must Love Dogs," with Diane Lane and John Cusack," recalls Josh. "There was a line in there where (actor) Dermot Mulroney walks up to this door in this trailer park and the woman says, 'Well look who just showed up at the Trailerhood.' I thought, 'Holy cow! That's a country title if I ever heard one.'"
Josh Turner's 2007 CD, Everything Is Fine. Photo courtesy of Universal Music Group.
The album also features two high-profile collaborations. The first, "Another Try," has Trisha Yearwood joining Josh in the studio for a heartbreaking ballad Turner calls one of the best he has ever heard. The second has him teaming up with Grammy nominated R&B artist Anthony Hamilton for "Nowhere Fast," a song Hamilton penned for Josh.
"It was just one of those natural things," says Josh. "I grew up listening to a lot of that soul and R&B, just for fun — Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett. My parents had a pretty big record collection, so it wasn't foreign to me. The fact that (Anthony) wrote the song for me and the fact that we had so much in common made it a great fit for the record."
When it came time to decide the album's title track, an introspective look at his own life made the choice an easy one.
"I got to thinking where I am in my life right now," says Josh. "'Is there a song on the record that kind of speaks to that?' And I got to thinking, 'Everything Is Fine' is pretty accurate."
A big reason for the positive outlook is the new addition in Josh and wife Jennifer's life — their son, Hampton Otis. Since his arrival last October, music has truly become a family affair. With Jennifer already playing piano in Josh's band, when their son was born, the decision was made to take the Turner trio out on tour as soon as the little guy could travel.
Hampton, Josh marvels, handles the road like a seasoned roadie. "He really doesn't know anything different. We've had him out there from an early age. Sometimes he's a better traveler than us."
Now that the one-year-old is mobile, however, a new safety item has been added to the arsenal to keep the tour bus baby proof. It is an accessory that will probably get the parents in trouble when an older version of Hampton flips through some old family albums.
"When (the tour bus) is moving we have this little funny-looking helmet that we have to put on him," says Josh, smiling. "He's going to kill us when we he gets older. 'Did ya'll actually make me wear that?'"
As Josh keeps a watchful eye on Hampton, it must be difficult to imagine the teetering toddler as a moody teenager. Gazing 10 to 15 years into the future provides a fuzzy view at best. However, one thing is certain about the decades to come: Josh Turner will be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. And because of that, everything really will be fine.