Josh Turner, Land State of Mind
Turner’s stiff baritone is the perfect match for this collection of classic country tunes. It is his first country album in three years and the set marks a welcome return, especially as it finds him paired with some of his musical heroes and contemporaries. John Anderson joins Turner for a remake of Anderson’s 1993 man theme of “I’m Got It Made”, as does Kris Kristofferson on his standard “Why Me”, which is supported by a particularly moving performance by Turner . Randy Travis, who had lost his singing voice following his stroke years ago, reveals Turner’s love for “Forever and Ever, Amen.” Maddie & Tae, Runaway June, Allison Moorer and Chris Janson also join Turner. Expertly collected selections and Turner’s solid vocals ensure a winning set from start to finish.
Osborne brothers, “skeleton”
The title track of the duo’s upcoming album is a rumbling, swampy country rocker that you can feel on your toes. ‘I heard you crawl around the time the sun went down,’ TJ Osborne sings before the guitars and organs cry. Try to find a better line this year than ‘You have skeletons in your closet and I have bones to pick at them. ”
Dolly Parton, “Mary, Did You Know”
The thermometer breaks three digits across much of the country, but Parton transports the listener right into the winter with her exciting, emotional take on Christmas classic, “Mary, Did You Know,” from In Holly Dolly ChristmasOctober 2. The first third has Parton before he explodes into a choir before going into a spoken interview with Parton who speaks directly and blesses Mary. A nice interpretation.
Tucker Beathard, King
The second installment of Beathard’s 20 track album (the first half came out in 2018 and was released independently) comes with 13 new songs that feature his lead singer-songwriter on such tracks as “You Would Think” (along with his hit songwriting father, Casey), the clever, storytelling “One Top”, the sorry “Miss You Now”, the driving “Only”, and searing “Find Me Here -Broke Down.” Beathard is very much in control of his craft here, and sounds confident in his own voice both vocally and stylistically. At 25, Beathard has been through a lot already, including going out on a failed record deal, finding out he was a father, and, the horrific murder of his younger brother in December. The last event plays in set closer, the moving “I am not without you.”
Gary Allan, “Waste of a Whiskey Drink”
Allan sells this cautious story convincingly as he tries to warn a poor sucker of a woman buying a drink, because Allan already knows how it will end … with her steel of his Pearl Jam shirt, sleeping with his friends, ruin his favorite song and a world of hurt. Part of the location is that the barfly is not listening. In part because Allan just leaves a hint that he might get half the chance again down the road.
The Dillards, Old road new again
The Dilliards were a pivotal peg in cross between bluegrass, country and rock in the late ’60s and early’ 70s, and influenced a legion of artists, including Elton John. Rodney Dilliard is the only surviving member of the original outfit, but he is joined by a robust unit on the new set, as are famous fans Don Henley, Ricky Skaggs, Sharon and Cheryl White, Herb Pedersen, Bernie Leadon en Sam Bush. Not available on Spotify, but worth checking out on Amazon Music or the iTunes Store for their bluegrass remegram of “Save the Last Dance For Me” with Sharon and Cheryl White only) and the moving “My Last Sunset” with Henley and Pedersen .
