Josh Turner photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Anyone who’s watched just 10 minutes of CNN or Fox News probably understands Josh Turner’s “Why Don’t We Just Dance” very, very well. It’s great to know what’s going on in the world, but when the bulk of what’s presented is disasters and pessimistic politics, it doesn’t do much for the psyche.

Which is pretty much why Josh cut “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” which implores the listener to move the couch, ignore the “315 channels of nothing but bad news” and cut a rug.

“Why don’t we just have some fun?” Josh said to Entertainment Weekly. “That’s what this record’s all about.”

Josh, however, stops short of making “fun” his mission statement. He wants to help people escape their routines “indirectly,” but if he starts to view fun as a vocational responsibility… well, those two words don’t fit together very well sometimes, says GAC’s February Artist of the Month.

“I feel like if I tried to assume that responsibility, I’d end up a walking disaster,” he said. “I have a mission that allows me to make music. I can make music that allows people to tap their toes and clap their hands and get up and dance if they want to. My job is to use my platform in a positive way, and make a difference in people’s lives.”

Not that Josh will record just any song. It’s got to be right for him — which is why he turned down “River Of Love” and “In Color,” titles that went on to become hits for George Strait and Jamey Johnson, respectively.

“It took a lot for me to stand there and say, ‘Okay, I’m willing to let this good song go, because it’s not me,’” he said of “In Color.” “I’ve had people fight me at my label before on that, but I don’t think they see things the way I see them.”

Josh’s new album Haywire — featuring “Why Don’t We Just Dance” — is officially out on Tuesday. And he’ll appear alongside Lady Antebellum on GAC Nights Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Click here to order your copy of Haywire!

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