Josh Turner has released his new single, 'Lay Low' from his upcoming new album. The tune, written by Ross Copperman, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler, was one the country crooner knew he wanted to record the first time he heard it.
"[The song] painted a mental picture of our cabin and how secluded it is. It's where we go to get away from it all and reconnect with each other, to be reminded of what's most important, he tells Rolling Stone Country. "Laying low is something Jennifer and I love to do. We most always have to make the time to do it, because as you can imagine, we don't just have ample amounts of idle time."
With lines like, "
I wanna drive until my cell phone/ Runs out of range and every bar is gone/ Cut through the woods another hundred miles/ I wanna hear raindrops falling down on an old tin roof/ Wanna find a front porch trail and chop up my traveling boots...Spend a few days together alone/ And just lay low," the song helped set the direction for his upcoming album which he admits was a difficult one to record.
"When it came time for this record, I didn't have a direction," Turner admits. "I didn't know what I was supposed to be writing towards. I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing or saying."
Thankfully, he said he was able to gain the clarity he needed to record the new set of tunes, which is his first release since his 2012 No.1 album Punching Bag."
"The basic standards i've always held for my music still apply to this record, but i've definitely taken a step back and looked at what today's environment is and how my music can fit into that," Turner notes. "I don't follow trends, and I've always followed my heart, whether my music fits in or not, but I want to be a player in the game and continue to evolve as an artist. This record, so far, has great musicianship, great melodies and lyrics that today's audience can relate to.
"I don't know if I've totally found the way to do it yet, but I definitely feel like i'm headed in the right direction," he adds. "This is gonna be a sweet record -- regardless of what happens once it gets out there -- because I've worked my butt off for this one."
It's a busy fall for the 36-year-old, in addition to welcoming his fourth child, Samuel Hawke Turner, into the world on Sept 4, Turner is also heading out on the road next month for a series of shows, including stops in North Dakota, Alabama and New Mexico, as well as a performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. See all of his upcoming shows
here and download 'Lay Low'
here.
