Josh Turner - Long Black Train

Unique?

THis is a good album. He uses his deep voice to make beautiful music. You find yourself coming back to this over and over again. August 29, 2008

Gifted artist

He has the voice to take him to the top. Some of the songs are great, but he needs original, exciting material to take advantage of his talents. July 30, 2008

Great deal

Long Black Train, by Josh Turner, is a very good CD. I got it for just a couple of the songs, but ended up likeing the one's that I had not heard before too. June 29, 2008

Talented traditional country singer

Country music fans have always debated about what is and what isn't country music, but this album shows that Josh's roots are firmly planted in tradition. Inevitably, there are some concessions to contemporary tastes including drums and electric guitars, which were once regarded with contempt by country fans; these have been a standard feature of country music for a long time now.

Josh has a distinctive deep voice that some describe as a baritone while others describe it as a bass. It doesn't really matter which category it is, because it is a great voice and Josh is a superb singer. He has been compared to a number of other singers, either in sound or in style, but while I hear echoes of all of them in his music, ultimately Josh proves that he is his own man.

The title track is a gospel song that uses a train as a metaphor. This is not a new idea, as I remember Johnny Cash recording another gospel song (This train is bound for glory) about a metaphorical train, and I'm sure there have been others. American country radio was slow to support the song, with the consequence that it stayed in the chart for a very long time but didn't get as high as it might have done. Still, it got the exposure and Josh was rewarded with album sales exceeding a million.

The follow-up single, What it ain't, is very amusing, while there are a couple oif very romantic ballads (In my dreams, Jacksonville). She'll go on you (a warning that she might leave), Good woman bad (she's already left and he needs another woman) and Unburn all our bridges (she's left but he wants her back) all focus on the difficulties that men have in keeping women's interest in them. But the saddest song here (I had one, one time) is about a man reflecting all the things he once had, but lost it all. Of all the songs here, the song that really describes Josh's roots is the autobiographical Backwoods boy.

Most of the songs here are originals, but there are a couple of covers. Well, one of them (The difference between a woman and a man) hardly counts as a cover. Doug Stone recorded it in 1999, but his most successful years were already past by then, so I doubt that many people who buy this are familiar with his version. I'm not either, but I found it when researching for this review. The other cover (You don't mess around with Jim) is a Jim Croce song from the seventies. Actually, the first version of this song that I heard was Donna Fargo's excellent cover, also recorded in the seventies.

This brilliant album deserved to sell well, but given the current fashions in American country music radio, it is perhaps surprising that Josh got the airplay necessary to generate those sales. To those who are worried about the future of country music, Josh offers a becaon of light in the darkness. June 17, 2008

Awesome CD, loaded with good music selections

This CD was a first for me by artisit Josh Turner. I love the title song "Long Black Train", this is what prompted me to purchase it. I was not disappointed! The CD is just loaded with wonderful music. I took the CD to work to play and many were singing along and enjoying life. I am looking forward to purchasing another of Josh's CD's. May 8, 2008

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