The rest of the 10 track Turn It Up collection fits a raucous, good time vibe but never sounds like some sort of pseudo-country album. This, my friends, is completely a fresh take on the kind of good time tunes that Waylon, Charlie Daniels, George Jones, Garth Brooks, and Hank Williams, Jr. have used throughout there careers. Does this mean it’s not contemporary? On the contrary, there’s a fantastic amount of crunchy (but twangy) guitars on “Drink, Drink, Drink” while “Hank Crankin’ People” name checks the man, Jr., himself as it talks about the blue collar, hard working people who love themselves some Country music. “We take our hats off when we face the flag, twist a cap off when we here the Hag, I’m right here with the hell-raisin kind, cut from the same cloth as mine, I’m talking’ bout, hard workin’, God-fearin’, beer-drinkin’, Hank-crankin’ people.
“Hillbilly Limo” is a fun and quirky tune about having a good time no matter what mode of transportation you use to get to the honky-tonk. Everything about “Hillbilly Limo” is in good fun. The Petty-like nature of “Left This Town”’s melody is married with a fantastic layer of steel guitars in the chorus of a tune about a woman who leaves the town nobody ever leaves. As strong as those songs are, perhaps no songs are as strong as “Wanted Me Good” and the title track “Turn It up.” Both of these tunes could become radio hits, particularly “Wanted Me Gone,” a song so catchy that you’ll be singing along to the Chorus by the end of the song’s first time through it. It’s the kind of ear worm that deserves to be played on the radio and the same can be said for the fun-loving good times found within “Turn It Up.”
All in All, Turn It Up is a very satisfying record, the kind of record that is honestly Country and contemporary at the same time. Josh Thompson and his production team have crafted the kind of record that most people want to hear when looking to have a good time. It’s that kind of record, a record for a good time, a record for the hardworking, beer drinking, folks described in “Hank Crankin’ People,” which is 90% of Country music’s audience.
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