I always enjoy listening to live albums, as it brings back memories of times when I was able to see the artists in concert. What is especially cool about this collection is that for Josh Turner fans, you aren't just hearing his hits and some album cuts live. Josh also adds covers from three of his musicial heroes - Hank Williams Sr., Merle Haggard, and George Jones. While not one to do a lot of talking, Josh does add his sense of humor as he introduces his band, the Tonkin' Honkies. This is an album for fans of Josh, and those not familiar with him, that will become fans after listening to this release.
While many artists will sing mostly their hits, along with a cover song or two, Josh includes many favorite album cuts along with the singles that more people would be familiar with. I especially liked his inclusion of "Loretta Lynn's Lincoln," which I've never heard live before, and "Angels Fall Sometimes."
Josh starts out the show with the song "Way Down South," complete with that great ending, where he drops an octave to end the song. Josh pays tribute to Merle Haggard with the popular song, "Silver Wings," which he does superbly. Calling out for some noise from the audience on "Backwoods Boy," Josh has fun with this tune. Is it just me, or does this song always remind anyone else of "Sweet Home Alabama" with the instrumental intro?
The only thing I would like to have heard were his recent singles, "Would You Go With Me," and "Me and God" are both absent here.
As Josh introduced his band, he would give each one of them some type of special feat. One of his band member was a wrestler, one of them a weight lifter, one a former math teacher. When he got to himself, he said he was a "former forklift operator, Josh Turner." He introduced his wife, who is his keyboard player, as his best friend, and wife, Jennifer Turner.
Josh couldn't leave without singing his trademark "Long Black Train," and before any music starts, you can tell what song is coming up when you hear the train whistle. Very cool. The audience helps him out on the final note, and you can tell a great time was had by all. It sure was by me.
Cracker Barrel has really put out some great collections of music. They have many collections of legendary artists, plus some from newer artists, such as Sara Evans, Amy Grant, Alison Krauss, and the fantastic collection that was a TV special, "Songs of the Year." Josh Turner's Live at the Ryman is just the latest release of these quality recordings.
Ok, the last song has played, and I'm gonna have to put this back to track one, so I can enjoy it all over again.
Track List:
- Introduction
- Way Down South
- What It Ain't
- She'll Go On You
- Lord Have Mercy On A Country Boy
- Silver Wings
- Backwoods Boy
- Angels Fall Sometimes
- Loretta Lynn's Lincoln
- I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
- Band Intro
- Gravity
- He Stopped Loving Her Today
- Long Black Train
