The title Country State of Mind and the album's mildly retro artwork signal that this 2020 album from Josh Turner is a salute to his heroes. Unlike some country covers albums, Country State of Mind doesn't rely heavily on shopworn classics. There are songs associated with Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, but the respective "Alone and Forsaken" and "The Caretaker" are lonesome tunes not cut with the frequency of "I Saw the Light" or "I Walk the Line." Arguably, the biggest songs here are Randy Travis' "Forever and Ever, Amen" and Waylon Jennings' "Good Old Boys," both evocative of the country music of the '80s, which makes sense: that's the formative decade for the singer. Turner relies on a lot of songs from that decade, opening his record with a nice version of Keith Whitley's "I'm No Stranger to the Rain" and cutting Hank Williams, Jr's "Country State of Mind" with Chris Janson. Turner also cashes in a few chits to get Kris Kristofferson and John Anderson duet on a couple of their old hits ("Why Me," "I've Got It Made"), and they help provide authentic grace notes on an album that's simple, straightforward, and satisfying. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine