 List Price: $13.98
Lowest Price: $8.50 
Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-29
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. Rating:
Date: 2008-06-17
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. Rating:
Date: 2008-05-08
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. Rating:
Date: 2008-02-09
What a Voice
The title song is why I bought this cd but the whole album is great!
Deep soulful voice and some deep lyrics. Rating:
Date: 2007-11-22
Best Male Voice in Country Music Today. Period.
Josh Turner's 2007 album "Everything is Fine" is a wonderful CD, but you might want to travel back in time a few years to get your hands on this, the most seminal Josh Turner CD, and the one that established him as a force to be reckoned with.
To me, Josh is everything that is right about country music today. He brings in a very traditional-sounding country sound ("Long Black Train", "In My Dreams"), and then fuses it with a more contemporary sound ("Jacksonville", "Backwoods Boy"). Then there are the songs that seem to be culled straight out of a classic George Strait or Randy Travis songbook. All of these elements work in fine harmony, and even if you're not a country music fan, you're obviously going to find something to love on this.
I think Josh's prized asset is his voice and his very unique accent. He can clip down on the twang when he wants to, and accentuates it when he wants to, to fine effect. This means that even while singing 'proper' country songs, he is able to cross over and win some new audiences in other, more varied genres. For example, this CD is a huge hit with both bluegrass and folk audiences.
I also like the cover art on this one - as a cohesive album, I would rate this very highly alongside "Ropin the Wind" by Garth Brooks, as well as with both the Hits Compilations by Tim McGraw. Yes, its THAT good.
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