When Josh Turner began contemplating just which country artists he wanted to cover on his new album, Country State of Mind, he knew darn well he wanted to sing something from ”the King of Country Music,” George Strait.
“I felt like this record wouldn’t be complete without a George Strait song because of what he has contributed to country music,” Turner recently explained to Taste of Country Nights hosts Evan and Amber.
But how did he pick just one single song from the country icon’s vast catalog?
“In order for me to narrow down all of the George Strait songs to one, I focused on who wrote the songs,” Turner explains of a strategy that eventually led him to focus in on the song “Desperately,” which was a single for Strait back in 2004.
“The original version of this song was actually done by Bruce Robison, who had wrote it,” notes Turner, who mentioned that he does not know if Strait himself has actually heard his version of the song. “I’ve always been a big Bruce fan, and his version was the first version I had ever heard, so I felt like it was kind of a way to pay homage to George Strait but also to Bruce Robison. It was kinda like killing two birds with one stone.”
Joining him on the cover is country duo Maddie & Tae, who lined up perfectly with what Turner was looking for from a vocal standpoint.
“One being from Texas and one being from Oklahoma, I felt like they would kinda understand and get that style of song and know what to bring to it,” Turner says of Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye. “So they did exactly that and knocked it out of the park.”
Country State of Mind dropped on Friday (Aug. 21).
LOOK: These Country Artists Are Keeping Traditional Country Alive