Josh Turner Reflects On Recording with Bobby Osborne for "I Pray Myself Out of Trouble"

By Timothy Yap Oct 30, 2018 05:15 AM EDT

Country music artist Josh Turner has just released his first Christian I Serve a Savior. One of the songs that touched Turner deeply is the cut "I Pray My Way Out Of Trouble," which features bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne on harmony.

"That one is from a hymn record that the Osborne Brothers did back in the late '60s," said Turner to Billboard. "That record was a part of my granny's huge record collection. She had bluegrass and country and Southern Gospel and all kinds of stuff like that. Outside of church, that was my introduction to the world of music. That type of music just always really stuck with me and that's where my heart's always been."

"When I started thinking about songs that I wanted to put on this record, I started going back to some of those records that were in her collection and I came across this song. And I was like, 'Man, you know this song could really use a fresh approach.' I felt like it was a great song. I felt like it was well written. Then I started doing research into it and I found out that Loretta Lynn and Teddy Wilburn had actually written it. That made me love the song even more. Then when Bobby agreed to come in and sing on it I was just over the moon about it."

Having such a legend as Osborne on the album is a feeling that Turner treasures.

"That was a moment where I just felt like everything had just come full circle. Bobby Osborne's voice was one of the first voices I ever heard coming through a speaker. Here he is, 86 years old, and still going strong and singing on the track so it's a pretty good feeling."

The new album is a collection of hand-picked hymns, alongside brand-new originals and live recordings of some of Turner's most memorable hits, I Serve A Savior "complements the singer's baritone voice. All the while, [Turner] manages to put his distinct spin on the classics" shares Sounds Like Nashville, adding "I Serve A Savior provides a much needed message of hope to the listener... and proves that [Turner's] gospel album was well worth the wait."

For I Serve A Savior, Turner collaborated with GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Kenny Greenberg. Greenberg calls the album "a vocal tour de force" with a bluegrass flare. "This is where he comes from and who he is. This is what he grew up listening to and it became this labor of love."

Making I Serve A Savior was a dream come true for Turner, with his faith as the basis of the project, as he told The Tennessean in an upcoming Sunday cover story. Additionally, the gospel project is one that fans have been asking to hear for years and "adds new meaning to the songs that have defined Turner's spirituality while allowing him to contribute his own voice," says Taste Of Country. Bringing a new dimension to the GRAMMY® nominee's already acclaimed career, "Turner has outdone himself" with his latest faith-based endeavor according to Digital Journal, who called each track on the project "warm, inspirational and unique. It is evident that this studio effort was a labor of love for Turner."

In addition to the 12-track studio project, Turner has released a complementing 90-minute live performance DVD featuring a special interview of Turner with gospel legend Bill Gaither, a performance with Turner alongside his wife, Jennifer, and their four sons, and more. The DVD has been edited to air as a one-hour television special hosted by Bill Gaither, which will air this week on numerous networks across the U.S. and Canada, and will continue to air throughout the fall.Click here for more information on networks and air times.

Talking with People.com, Turner discussed working with his family on the album, stating, "I wanted to have a moment on this record where I could feature [my kids] and my wife. It's kind of wild and I think it might be the beginning of something special because all four of my boys seem to have a strong musical talent. Whether or not they pursue that as a career, time will tell. I don't know what the Lord is calling them to do."

Check out Josh's Gospel Greats playlist here. To purchase Josh Turner's I Serve A Savior, click here.