Josh Turner Releases 10th Studio Album, ‘This Country Music Thing’

Photo byCourtesy of UMG Nashville

Josh Turner‘s tenth studio album, This Country Music Thing, is out! Turner wrote two of the 11 songs on the record by himself, both the title track and “Unsung Hero,” and co-wrote one other song, “Whirlwind,” with Mark Narmore.

In addition to releasing a new record, Turner also shared the video for “Two Steppin’ On The Moon,” a song written by Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill and John Pierce. In an interesting twist, Turner invited several of his fellow country music artists, all who have had songs with the word “moon” in the title of one of their songs, to join him in the video, including Randy Travis, Shenandoah‘s Marty Raybon, The Gatlin Brothers and John Anderson.

“So this song was very similar to a lot of songs that we heard in preparation for this record,” Turner tells his record label. “There’s a lot of that kind of just hip hoppy, dance-y kind of thing that gets pitched to you nowadays. And a lot of them just fell flat. But this one just had a different kind of vibe to it. It felt like it had potential. It felt like it had some depth. It was fun to sing. We just kind of had to get it out of that more dance club kind of feel and get to where it was like you were– you were in that honky tonk and you were in a country kind of setting. And so it was fun to sing.

“The band played great on it … It kind of provides a little newness and freshness, compared to some of the more traditional songs on the record,” he adds.

Turner’s debut Long Black Train album came out in 2003. In the 21 years since then, the Grand Ole Opry member has remained firm in his resolve to stay true to country music. As some artists try to expand their horizons and blur the genre lines, Turner has never felt the need to do anything but country music, a decision that is evident on This Country Music Thing.

“Yes this is a traditional country record, but there’s a lot of variety that I think will keep listeners engaged,” Turner tells MusicRow. “I always hope that somebody is moved or inspired by my work, and wants to do great things after hearing it, because I remember what it felt like listening to my heroes growing up.”

Although Turner only has three songs he wrote on his new album, he originally intended to have a lot more. Still, the 46-year-old is thrilled with the finished product, and the songs contributed by other writers.

Photo byCourtesy of UMG Nashville

“You never know what a record is going to consist of. There’s been times in the past where I’ve written eight of the 11,” Turner says. “I wrote a lot for this record, and three old songs made the cut and none of the new stuff did. We let the best ones rise to the top, no matter who wrote them.

“There’s something spiritual about songs where they either have power or they don’t, and it’s crazy to watch certain ones rise to the top and achieve success and others sit on a shelf for years until they’re discovered one day,” he adds.

Turner will headline his Greatest Hits Tour throughout the remainder of 2024. Find all of Turner’s music, including This Country Music Thing, and see a list of all of his upcoming shows, at JoshTurner.com.

This Country Music Thing Track List:

1. Down in Georgia (Tyler Booth, Anthony Olympia, Brent Rupard)
2. If You Ain’t With Me (Marv Green, Lance Miller, Jimmy Yeary)
3. I Just Wanna Kiss You (Jeff Hyde, Jon Nite)
4. Heatin’ Things Up (Marv Green, Luke Laird, Brice Long)
5. This Country Music Thing (Josh Turner)
6. My Side (Barton Davies, William Reames, Jeremy Spillman, Ryan Tyndell)
7. Two Steppin’ On The Moon (Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill, John Pierce)
8. Somewhere With Her (Rhett Akins, Will Bundy, Josh Miller)
9. Whirlwind (Josh Turner, Mark Narmore)
10. Pretty Please (Wyatt McCubbin, Jon Randall, Gordie Sampson)
11. Unsung Hero (Josh Turner)