I Serve a Savior

I Serve a Savior is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Josh Turner. It was released on October 26, 2018, through MCA Nashville, and is Turner's first release to primarily consist of gospel music. The album was also bundled with a live performance DVD for release exclusively in Cracker Barrel stores that features an interview with Bill Gaither.[2]

I Serve a Savior
Studio album by Josh Turner
Released	October 26, 2018
Studio	Ken's Gold Club Stage Recording Studio[1]
Genre	Christian country, gospel[1]
Length	41:51
Label	MCA Nashville
Producer	Kenny Greenberg
Josh Turner chronology
Deep South (2017) I Serve a Savior (2018) Country State of Mind (2020)

Content

I Serve a Savior is a collection of mostly gospel music standards with a few original songs, such as the title track, which was co-written by Turner, and one that his wife and son wrote together.[2] The album features new live recordings of two of his previous hit singles — "Long Black Train" and "Me and God" — as well as duets with Sonya Isaacs, Bobby Osborne, and Turner's own family (including his wife and four sons) on "The River (Of Happiness)".[3]

Recording a gospel project was something Turner had "been wanting to do for a long time" and he decided that the timing was finally right for him to do it: "I didn't have any big plans for 2018 and my favorite part of my job is to go into the studio and create. I just felt like it was God's timing and I couldn't pass it up."[2]

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album three stars out of five, praising the duets with Sonya Isaacs and Bobby Osborne and calling it a "a sturdy, comforting listen, which is precisely what it was intended to be."[1]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums and Top Christian Albums for charts dated November 10, 2018, selling 14,000 copies in the first week (15,000 in equivalent album units). It is Turner's first appearance on the Christian chart.[4] The album sold a further 8,300 copies the second week.[5] It has sold 147,000 copies in the United States as of March 2020.[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Saw the Light" (featuring Sonya Isaacs)	Hank Williams	3:21
2.	"I Pray My Way Out of Trouble" (featuring Bobby Osborne)	Loretta Lynn, Teddy Wilburn	3:39
3.	"Great Is Your Faithfulness"	Thomas Chisholm, William M. Runyan	4:14
4.	"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"	traditional	3:51
5.	"Without Him"	Mylon LeFevre	3:06
6.	"I Serve a Savior"	Mark Narmore, Josh Turner	4:08
7.	"How Great Thou Art" (featuring Sonya Isaacs)	Carl Boberg, Stuart K. Hine	4:23
8.	"The River (Of Happiness)" (live from Gaither Studios) (featuring The Turner Family)	Hampton Turner, Jennifer Turner	1:40
9.	"Amazing Grace"	John Newton	5:19
10.	"Long Black Train" (live from Gaither Studios)	Josh Turner	4:21
11.	"Doxology"	Thomas Ken, Anonymous Genevan Psalter	0:42
12.	"Me and God" (live from Gaither Studios)	Josh Turner	3:11

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic[7]

• Perry Coleman - background vocals
• David Dorn - keyboards
• Glen Duncan - fiddle
• Kenny Greenberg - acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, electric guitar
• Vicki Hampton - background vocals
• Tania Hancheroff - background vocals
• Matthew Holt - piano
• Evan Hutchings - drums
• Rob Ickes - dobro, lap steel guitar
• Sonya Isaacs - duet vocals on "How Great Thou Art"
• Mark Ivey - background vocals
• Mike Johnson - pedal steel guitar
• Trey Keller - background vocals
• Jared Manzo - bass guitar, upright bass
• Gale Mayes - background vocals
• Carl Miner - banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin
• Gordon Mote - keyboards, organ, piano
• Bobby Osborne - duet vocals on "I Pray My Way Out of Trouble"
• Angela Primm - background vocals
• Colby Turner - vocals on "The River (Of Happiness)"
• Hampton Turner - mandolin and vocals on "The River (Of Happiness)"
• Hawke Turner - vocals on "The River (Of Happiness)"
• Jennifer Turner - piano and vocals on "The River (Of Happiness)"
• Josh Turner - acoustic guitar, lead vocals
• Marion Turner - vocals on "The River (Of Happiness)"
• Glenn Worf - bass guitar, upright bass

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[8]	41
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[9]	2
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[10]	2

References

1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "I Serve a Savior - Josh Turner". Allmusic. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
2. Madison Roberts (October 26, 2018). "Josh Turner Releases Gospel Album I Serve a Savior (Featuring a Song His Wife and Son Wrote!)". People.com. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
3. Tricia Despres (October 26, 2018). "Josh Turner Lives Out His Faith On New Album: 'Everyone Knows My Heart'". Taste of Country. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
4. Asker, Jim (November 6, 2018). "Josh Turner's Faith-Based 'I Serve a Savior' Debuts, Dan + Shay, Maren Morris Go Top 10 on Country Charts". Billboard.
5. Bjorke, Matt (November 14, 2018). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: November 14, 2019". Roughstock. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
6. Bjorke, Matt (March 10, 2020). "Top 10 Country Albums Pure Sales Chart: March 9, 2020". RoughStock. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
7. "Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
8. "Josh Turner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
9. "Josh Turner Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
10. "Josh Turner Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2018.