Song Review – Josh Turner’s “Hometown Girl”
Well well well. There is finally some movement on the Josh Turner front. Fans of the traditionally-leaning mainstream-signed artist have been waiting months, and sometimes years for new music that has been long promised, and long delayed. What was supposed to be the debut single from his new album called “Lay Low” was released all the way back on September 15th of 2014, and his last record Punching Bag was released four years ago.
Even Turner has remarked, “I’ve been working on this record for about 60 years now, it seems like anyway. Nobody is more ready to get it out there than me.” The delay is at least partly due to his label MCA Nashville replacing Curb Records as being the outfit best known on Music Row for endless delays in releasing new music, and not seeming to know what the hell do do with its artists not named Sam Hunt. Gary Allan recently switched from the imprint to a different one, and now finally Josh Turner has a new single to share with whatever fans haven’t forgotten he exists during the extended hiatus.
READ: Josh Turner Speaks Out Over Delays in New Music
Unfortunately the new song “Hometown Girl” is not much to speak of. It’s not a bad song per se. It’s not Bro-Country, EDM, or R&B like we’ve seen dominate the mainstream, and even take more traditionally-oriented artists for a spin lately. If there is one saving grace in the delay in Josh Turner’s career, it’s that he’s been able to sit on the sidelines as these awful trends have come to pass, and just maybe will be allowed to stay true to his sound now that artists like Chris Stapleton are finding success, and singles that actually sound country are getting more traction these days. But none of this is illustrated in “Hometown Girl.”
This single sounds and feels very much like a compromise between Tuner and MCA Nashville. There are no electronic drums or ultra-buzzy cliche language we’ve become accustomed to from many mainstream singles, but ultimately it’s a song about a girl, and one that tries to paint an ideal picture of love based off of sometimes superficial qualifiers and idealistic expectations. It may not be objectifying, but it does give off the vibe of love as ownership. And this song idea has been done countless times.
You can see “Hometown Girl” as something Josh Turner was willing to sign off on and not feel stupid about it, while MCA Nashville thought it was catchy and trendy enough to at least get a little attention from radio. Whether it will or not remains to be seen, and probably has just as much to do with how well, and how hard MCA Nashville pushes the song to radio than any merits the song might have with fat cat program directors or radio listeners. What’s been so maddening about MCA Nashville’s recent malaise is that the artists appear to be paying for the label’s poor single decisions, and their poor efforts with promotion. Even “Hometown Girl” has been met with a half-assed push so far—no lyric or live video released to YouTube as of yet, and only moderate press coverage.
The song is fine, but it ultimately lands too far in the middle to either become or hit, or give his core fans any red meat to feast on. If “Hometown Girl” is what allows Josh Turner’s music career to finally lumber forward again, including (hopefully) with material that is more indicative of earlier in his career, then it could be taken as a sum positive. But as a song, “Hometown Girl” is pretty tepid, and quickly forgettable.
May 17, 2016 @ 10:41 am
While not his best single, it’s great to hear that voice singing some new material. It could be shaping up to be a great several weeks for some traditionally-leaning mainstream artists. This from Josh Turner is a start. Then Dierks Bentley and Jon Pardi will be releasing new albums. Couple that with Jack Ingram’s new album coming in June. Hopefully we’ll see some movement on the Gary Allan front as well. How great would it be if the different sounds on country radio we heard were coming from artists like Turner, Dierks, Pardi, Ingram, Allan, and Stapleton rather than Sam Hunt, Jason Aldean, and Stapleron?
May 17, 2016 @ 11:27 am
Speaking of Jack Ingram, I bet none of you have probably heard this one yet and I think this one is a pretty funny drinking song.
http://tinyurl.com/gvo9fco
May 17, 2016 @ 3:55 pm
I have lost all faith in the Dierks Bentley album. He has already released like half the album digitally and they all sound pretty terrible if you ask me. It’s a shame that Dierks has seemingly abandoned any semblance of his old style or his bluegrass leanings. I was somewhat willing to forgive “Somewhere On A Beach” because Dierks previously had a solid track record, but 5-6 songs don’t lie and judging by what he has released to various streaming services they all sound collectively the same…..basically generic Adult Contemporary music.
Agree with you on Jon Pardi though, I’m cautiously highly optimistic about that album.
May 17, 2016 @ 10:55 am
Definitely not his best single, but it’s great to hear new material from that voice. New stuff from Josh Turner, new albums coming from Jon Pardi and Dierks Bentley in the next month or so. Jack Ingram releasing a new album in June. Hopefully some movement with Gary Allan’s new music. How great would it be if the discussion on country radio involved the differences in music between those artists instead of Sam Hunt and Jason Aldean?
May 17, 2016 @ 10:57 am
I bet he didn’t really want to release this song.
Oh well, it’s better than almost all of the mainstream bore out right now.
Hopefully he will release the album soon
May 17, 2016 @ 11:01 am
Though I shouldn’t be all that disappointed by this, I am nonetheless.
“Hometown Girl” is the end result of how, no matter how much you genuinely try to stick with your guns as a performer with some traditional leanings, you have to make compromises to appease the mainstream. And while Josh definitely stood his ground for a while, this still comes across as rather hollow.
*
Lyrically, it’s certainly harmless. There’s nothing in the vein of, say, Joe Nichols’ recent singles that panders to a more lustful youthful demographic, and certainly nothing misogynistic.
But they still smack as written-by-committee. Corn fields? Check! Baseball cap? Check! Cheering on the home football team? Check! Lamenting her leaving for the big city? Check!
And I say this acknowledging that Turner’s back catalogue has never exactly been marked by lyrical depth. It isn’t. The reason Turner has been so compelling to listen to, in spite of mostly adhering to simple songs, is his one-of-a-kind emotive baritone and soothing persona. He has a natural charisma and charm that just can’t help but lull you in, and it has always been backed by some rich, roomy production.
Which is also where I find myself gravely disappointed by this: the production is just so painfully paint-by-numbers and scrubbed of country instrumentation.
And it just isn’t the same. It’s as though Turner’s personality has become second to the gloss, and he struggles to really stand out high above the mix. Obviously you can tell it’s his vocals and his alone, but they don’t command your attention here like you usually can count on his producers and engineer to do. And that greatly diminishes the listening experience.
*
In the end, look: this is not among the worst songs out there by any means, and I don’t doubt Josh Turner genuinely tried to stick a marker in the sand and sate the kind of music he’s for.
But on its own, “Hometown Girl” just isn’t working for me. If this was akin to a tug-of-war match, it’s clear MCA Nashville gained plenty more yard from Turner (at least as far as a representative single is concerned). It isn’t terrible, but this isn’t getting a passing grade from me either.
I’m thinking a Strong 3 to Light 4 out of 10 for this.
May 17, 2016 @ 11:05 am
I don’t care for it much, but mainstream country is getting better. Instead of chasing the current trend of more traditional-ish country music, they just need to let the artists have freedom. Then good music should come
May 17, 2016 @ 11:18 am
I agree with the rating and it’s unfortunate. Had he led this era with a single that was 9/10 or even 8/10 on your scale, Josh could have potentially gone down as the guy who led the charge out of the garbage heap period on the country music timeline.
Instead we get a song described as vanilla, safe, radio friendly, nothing special, and bland. I was hoping for something to fit in beside Craig Campbell’s, William Michael Morgan’s, and Mo Pitney’s current singles.
Same could be said about Joe Nichols and his new single. Go have a listen to Darius Rucker’s new single, “So I Sang.” I think that one is excellent!
May 17, 2016 @ 11:24 am
It is astounding to me that “So I Sang” is being released, considering “Southern Style” sputtered as a preceding single seven months prior.
Unfortunately, I’m expecting it to barely go anywhere on the charts. I definitely agree that it is Rucker’s best single to date, either way.
May 17, 2016 @ 11:41 am
Still more country than Sam Hunt
May 17, 2016 @ 1:13 pm
ZZZzzzz
May 17, 2016 @ 1:37 pm
It’s so sad that we have to say “At least it isn’t bro country” or “It’s better than Cole Swindell/ Sam Hunt/ Florida Georgia Line/ etc”
No. Just no. This is a big reason why country music has died-too many nothingness filler songs while the bro trash caught people’s attention
May 17, 2016 @ 1:55 pm
Another song about a “girl”. Yawn.
October 24, 2016 @ 9:20 am
Well girls are sexy!
May 17, 2016 @ 1:57 pm
I have to say, the video on YouTube where he is playing it live in front of an audience sounds much more appealing musically to me. It was just 3 acoustic guitars and a guy on the fiddle and it sounded much better than the studio version.
Just my opinion.
But I’m a big Josh Turner fan and I’m very pleased to hear something new from him. I can’t wait until his next album finally comes out.
May 17, 2016 @ 1:59 pm
Long Black Train has very serious lyrics.
and It’s really good to hear a man singing in the lower register for a change.
I’m pretty tired of the endless stream of high voiced little guys.
The tunes not great, but it’s pretty easy to listen to. Miles better than the average radio tune these days.
May 17, 2016 @ 2:30 pm
i prefer lay low but this isn’t bad hopefully this is successful though so he can finally release the album
May 17, 2016 @ 4:33 pm
I am anxious to hear what he has been working on. This single isn’t what I expected. But some of his more recent singles haven’t been. I guess I’m hoping for something more in the vein of “Cold Shoulder” from the Punching Bag album.
May 17, 2016 @ 6:37 pm
Is there any chance you might cover how David Nail’s new album seems to be getting delayed in the same way Turner’s has been? I’ve never read the word “delayed” anywhere but I heard “Night’s on Fire” first hit radio while cutting hay last summer.
May 17, 2016 @ 6:49 pm
I did talk about David Nail in my piece on MCA Nashville’s endless delays with its artists that I linked to above, but I haven’t delved into his situation individually just yet. That might happen in the future, especially if there’s still no movement.
May 20, 2016 @ 3:01 pm
I just read that David Nail’s “Fighter” will be released on July 15th. Good news. He also released a new digital EP of 4 covers and one re-imagined original from his debut album, including his excellent rendition of “In the Ghetto.” The re-imagined original is “Looking For a Good Time,” written by Sean McConnell.
May 20, 2016 @ 5:25 pm
Perhaps all of our sabre ratting has made a difference. MCA Nashville seems to have done an about face.
May 20, 2016 @ 8:45 pm
Wait til you hear the title track to “Fighter.” It’s phenomenal.
May 18, 2016 @ 12:06 am
This week marks its 43rd week on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
Seeing that a number of stations have given this conversions this past week, I won’t be surprised if this gives Lee Brice’s “Love Like Crazy” a run for its money in the chart longevity record. And at #49 on the iTunes Country chart presently, its lowly sales don’t warrant that.
Of course, the absolutely irrelevant “Hole in a Bottle” by Canaan Smith has been charting since late August and could also be the beneficiary of payola to a year-long chart run. That track is doing so horribly in sales, it isn’t even presently in the Top 100.
May 17, 2016 @ 7:39 pm
Eh, it is what it is. I agree with the review. I thought “Lay Low” was much much better, especially for balancing a lead single with an good song/sound. This didn’t do it for me.
May 18, 2016 @ 8:40 am
‘“Hometown Girl” is pretty tepid, and quickly forgettable.’
yup…….Again , the song choice bewilders . JT has been away for a few years this is the best he and his label could find in all that time ? It never achieves liftoff …musically , dynamically , vocally or lyrically .There are about eleventy-seven hundred GREAT songs waiting to be unearthed IF you have someone in your camp who can identify them . Obviously Josh doesn’t.
May 18, 2016 @ 6:02 pm
Meh. I’ve never understood the fascination with Josh Turner. He’s a mediocre vocalist with mediocre material. This is no different. Wake me up when he does something of merit.
May 18, 2016 @ 11:41 pm
Uhm, have you ever listened to long black train? Or pallbearer? Don’t talk shit if you don’t even know the music. One other thing, many vocalists would kill for a voice like that.
May 18, 2016 @ 11:47 pm
Why do you say he doesn’t have much lyrical depth? I’m assuming you have listened to his albums. Songs like Long Black Train, Pallbearer, She’ll Go on Ya, Would You Go With Me, etc. Are some of the most emotionally charged without being sappy songs I’ve heard. Maybe I am just a Josh Turner apologist.
October 24, 2016 @ 11:25 am
This song is fantastic best yet
December 27, 2016 @ 10:34 am
I wonder if the Opry version lets his voice shine through by avoiding too much production. Honestly, I think his voice is fantastic, except for when he sings ‘girl’ and it sounds a bit whiney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8S_dA7EcCI&feature=em-uploademail