Country State of Mind in Bloomington, MN

The title
Country State of Mind
and the album's mildly retro artwork signal that this 2020 album from
Josh Turner
is a salute to his heroes. Unlike some country covers albums,
doesn't rely heavily on shopworn classics. There are songs associated with
Hank Williams
and
Johnny Cash
, but the respective "Alone and Forsaken" and "The Caretaker" are lonesome tunes not cut with the frequency of "I Saw the Light" or "I Walk the Line." Arguably, the biggest songs here are
Randy Travis
' "Forever and Ever, Amen" and
Waylon Jennings
' "Good Old Boys," both evocative of the country music of the '80s, which makes sense: that's the formative decade for the singer.
Turner
relies on a lot of songs from that decade, opening his record with a nice version of
Keith Whitley
's "I'm No Stranger to the Rain" and cutting
Hank Williams, Jr
's "Country State of Mind" with
Chris Janson
.
also cashes in a few chits to get
Kris Kristofferson
John Anderson
duet on a couple of their old hits ("Why Me," "I've Got It Made"), and they help provide authentic grace notes on an album that's simple, straightforward, and satisfying. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine