Josh Turner's deep voice is so rich and pure. To me, it is the best kind of voice for real country music.

The cover of the late Jim Croce's "Don't Mess Around with Jim" is a pleasant little surprise. With Turner's deep Southern voice, you get the idea that you might be hearing Slim sing the song.


One of the best debuts this year (or ever)!   November 26, 2003
DanD
19 out of 21 found this review helpful

Yeah, I heard "Long Black Train." At first, I was appalled--I wondered how something like that could get on country radio. Then I slapped myself in the head, and realized I was hearing a pretty damn good song.

I have atoned for my initial mistake, and searched high and low for this album. I found it, gave it a listen--and now I'm reviewing it, because I figured I had a duty to tell you about this terrific CD.

The title track and "Backwoods Boy" are the two best, probably because they're Turner's two self-penned songs on this album. He also co-wrote "Jacksonville," which does deserve some honorable mention.

The other songs aren't entirely new ideas...but they don't have to be. Yes, "In My Dreams" and "Unburn All Our Bridges" are almost cliche; but heck, with a baritone like Turner possesses, do you even CARE?

There're some honky-tonkers, like "What It Ain't", "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" (it seems everybody records this one nowadays, but hey, he does a terrific job), and "Good Woman Bad". They're some ballads, such as "I Had One One Time" (the best of these ballads, easily), "She'll Go On You" (a song that tells us to spend time with all the women in our life; again a cliche, but an interesting tune nonetheless), and "The Difference Between a Woman and a Man," penned by Bobby Braddock (I swear I've heard that somewhere before).

Produced by two of the best producers Nashville has to offer (Mark Wright and Frank Rogers), Josh Turner's debut CD, "Long Black Train," is not only promising--it's excellent! Turner easily has one of the best voices gracing radio today, and I can only pray that I'll be hearing his voice up at the top of the charts.


Very good debut album; Josh gets off to a solid start   February 27, 2005
Ken (Olathe, KS, U.S.A.)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

I normally don't buy an album by a new singer soon after the record comes out. I want to listen to a few more records before I decide if I like that person's music. I must admit, though, that after seeing the "Long Black Train" video on Great American Country, I admire Josh Turner. He's a solid singer whose roots are firmly in traditional music, and now that I've listened to Long Black Train, I think it is a very good debut.

The title track "Long Black Train", in which the "long black train" is a symbol for temptation("That devil's a-drivin' that long black train", Josh writes), is reminiscent of Johnny Cash, a singer I listened to a lot when I was younger. "Long Black Train" was a major hit for Josh, and the video got a lot of airplay on both GAC and CMT. The wisecracking song "What It Ain't", where the speaker recalls past romantic failures and uses them to tell his buddy how not to start a relationship("I might not know what love is/But I know what it ain't"), was this record's second big hit. "Good Woman Bad" has the guy wondering why his lover is doing him wrong after all he's done for her("I treat that bad woman good/Lord, I need a good woman bad"). "Backwoods Boy" has Josh reminiscing about his youth in the backwoods of South Carolina("I'm a backwoods boy/Grew up on a dirt road"). "She'll Go On You" reminds us to take every opportunity to show our loved ones we care about them, because if we don't, they'll "go on you". "I Had One, One Time" is the wistful recollection of a guy who's lost everything and who is admiring what his friend has(job, car, and so on). The romantic ballads "Jacksonville" and "In My Dreams" and the pleading lost-love ballad "Unburn All Our Bridges" are well-done, emotional songs. Long Black Train could be a five-star record if it weren't for one song. Josh's remake of Jim Croce's classic song "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" drags this record down. Josh's rendition of "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" is well-done musically, and his singing is awesome. Josh's version of the Croce classic, however, misses the wisecracking that in my opinion made Jim's original not only a big pop hit but a really fun song. The song tells a great story, but here, Josh sounds as if he is not really enjoying himself but instead is merely acting like it.

In short, Long Black Train is not a perfect debut album, but it's a very good one. On this record, Josh has gotten off to a fine start. In the coming years, I think we'll be hearing a lot more of him on country radio.


Great Stuff   October 30, 2003
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

This is a really good CD. Just the right mix of up-tempo and slower songs. Very good voice, something you can listen to over and over. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I had only heard "Long Black Train" on the radio before buying the CD,and I am not disappointed at all with it. Highlights include "Long Black Train", "Backwoods Boy", and Jim Croce's "You Don't Mess Around With Jim". Great CD, recommend to anyone, new and real (ok, old) country fans alike.