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.'"