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Josh Turner - Live At The Ryman
- Josh Turner’s “Live At The Ryman” is an album that encapsulates a true country vibe. Turner’s voice has such a deep timbre to it that the lyrics he sings resonate even more thoroughly. The audience can be heard in the background shouting their appreciation for his frank and honest songs about life and living it on one’s own terms.
On “Way Down South” Turner talks about things he experienced as a young boy. His cavernous voice further expresses how seriously Turner took some of these events. “I grew up workin’ on a farm, way down South. I went to school against my will, way down South. I kissed girls and I shot squirrels out behind my house. I learned a lot about this world, way down South.” It seems Turner is chronicling the life lessons he took away from living in the South. The down home guitar and drum work add to the homey vibe of the song.
“What It Ain’t” has slightly quicker guitar and drum play. This song is about how Turner’s heart has been shattered and because of that he knows how to spot love that is untrue. He sorrowfully croons: “I have been around this old block before. I’ve walked into abruptly closing doors. Schooled in hard knocks, I’ve learned a lot ‘bout how a heart can break. I might not know what love is but I know what it ain’t.”
“She’ll Go On You” changes the tempo of the instrumentation, yet again, to a much slower pace. This song seems to be a ballad about watching one’s daughter get older and how one should cherish every moment before it's gone forever. Listeners might think about their own female offspring and how they seem to growing up at the speed of light. Turner sings such bittersweet lines as, “If you’ve got a little girl, you better take the time to go to her tea parties and give her a piggyback ride. Be a dragon or a dinosaur every chance you get cause one day you can bet. She’ll go on you, before you can turn around.” Parents, who listen to this album, can identify with this song as their children age and change with each passing day.
On “Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy” Turner’s gravel-like voice talks about how he has tried to acclimate himself to life in the big city, but his country upbringing is too ingrown, and he is asking the Man Upstairs for help. “Well, I grew up wild and free…There wasn’t no place I couldn’t go with my .22 rifle and a fishin’ pole. Well, I live in the city but don’t fit it. You know it’s a pity the shape I’m in. Well, I got no home and I got no choice. Oh, Lord, have mercy on a country boy.”
Josh Turner’s “Live At The Ryman” exhibits the skill of a quintessential country artist. The live element to this album incessantly expresses the hard times that one can go through, and Turner’s timbre is so stoic at times that listeners, as well as the crowd, can easily recognize the messages Turner is conveying.
Reviewer: Sari N. Kent
new
Reviewer's Rating: 8.5
Reader's Rating: 10.00
Reader's Votes: 3
Added: 23-Jul-2007
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