by Matt Conner

With well over a decade of chart-topping hits under his belt from “Long Black Train” to “Hometown Girl,” Josh Turner’s fans should be plenty satisfied. His signature baritone has anchored over five million albums sold, and his most recent release proved he’s as popular as ever. But this year, Turner says he’s finally taking the time to release a project not only dear to him, but it’s something fans have desired for years.

I Serve A Savior is this year’s offering for fans, a special audiovisual package that includes a recorded album and DVD of Turner singing some of gospel music’s beloved standards alongside newer, personal offerings penned by the Grand Ole Opry member.

“Doing a gospel record is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and it’s something my fans have wanted for a long time,” says Turner. “I was thrilled when this opportunity came.”

Turner, who says he was brought up in church, wanted to pay tribute to gospel favorites yet also didn’t want to tread water where so many other artists had swam. “I’ve been allowed to make this record what I’ve wanted to make it. There were obviously some parameters, but I’ve been able to put my stamp on this whole record from start to finish.”

Specifically, Turner said he wanted some of the older songs to sound natural alongside a song that was written in the last few months—a tall order given how familiar songs like “Amazing Grace,” “I Saw The Light” and “How Great Thou Art” could be. Turner wrote the title track himself and collaborated with members of his family for another new track, “The River (of Happiness).” A new live version of one of Turner’s earliest hits, “Long Black Train,” is also included in the mix.

“The record has a big variety of songs,” says Turner. “I just really tried to make each song current, relevant, engaging and intriguing rather than a record chock full of old hymns that everyone has heard a million times done the same old way. I tried to make it to where it was thought provoking while being reverent and respectful at the same time.”

In order to do that, Turner said he made slight alterations to certain tracks while maintaining the integrity of the message and the arrangement.

“Making a record is already a challenge, but when you have songs like “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” on there, it can be even more of a challenge,” he explains “But I took those old hymns and, let’s say with that song in particular, it’s filled with a lot of old English.

“Let’s be clear: as much as some people want to cling to it, people don’t speak that way anymore. So I took the lyric and modernized it and made it more current to the point that it could be conversational in today’s world without sacrificing the meaning of the song. I think that aspect allows those songs to flow more into something I wrote.”

Turner admits he’d be excited about this project on the basis of the album alone, but it’s the visual package, collaboration with Gaither Studios in Alexandria, Indiana, that generates the most excitement as he awaits its release. Turner said he cried a few times himself while watching the final product and believes it will be meaningful for fans.

“I’m very proud of how this record came out and the DVD takes it to another level. I can’t wait for people to see and hear it.”

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