Josh Turner

New artists dream about the kind of results Josh Turner achieved with his 2003 debut, Long Black Train. Spurred by its haunting, gospel-inflected title track, the album sold a million copies and brought Turner a pair of nominations from the influential Country Music Association, plus a Top New Artist nomination from the Academy of Country Music.

That debut, however, was merely a prelude. Turners sophomore project, Your Man, demonstrates an increased maturity, a better-honed sense of his strengths and a more specific portrait of the singer as both an artist and a man.

Ive really learned a lot, Turner reflects. We were listening to my first record the other day, and I couldnt believe how much my voice has matured and grown from that time.

That much maturation comes as a surprise to many music fans. In his first go-round, he earned a unique place in the sonic marketplace with his rich, masculine resonance. Yet that same voice is even more full-bodied on Your Man than before, awash in earthy wisdom and experience. The sound reflects numerous points of growth for Turner: increased confidence, a better picture of his distinctive place as an artist and a firm understanding that his destiny is tied in great part to his willingness to go to the mat for his work.

I love fighting for my music, he insists. Im out there trying to make a positive impact on people in any kind of way I can, and I like music that makes you think.

In that regard alone, Your Man is a winner. The album covers a range of emotionsfrom romantic devotion to spiritual intimacy to ethereal sillinesswhile paying overt allegiance to many of the musical figures who inspired him. Two of his biggest influences, honky-tonker John Anderson and bluegrass pioneer Ralph Stanley, make guest appearances; a Don Williams hit, Lord Have Mercy On A Country Boy, gets reworked; and the Coal Miners Daughter is even referenced in the title of the inexplicably weird Loretta Lynns Lincoln. If that werent enough, Turner pays tribute to Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride and even trucker-ballad specialist Red Sovine. In fact, the last notes Turner sings on the album are an unintentional tribute to a country-gospel master, as the singer recaptures the way on down line from the late J.D. Sumners performance on an Elvis Presley hit.

The depth of heritage and emotion are present, in part, because Turner was in no rush with the album. He recorded the first six songs before Thanksgiving 2004 and then took an additional six months to write or find five appropriate cuts to fill out the project. It was another sign of his increasing maturity and his insistence on quality.

Im really patient, he observes. Sometimes we get caught up in looking at our competition and saying, Man, hes already got his album released or Man, his albums gonna be released before mine. But I dont want to get caught up in that. I just want to make sure that when my album comes out its the best that it possibly can be.