MORE STEEL.
Ernest added a heaping dose of steel into a lot of the songs on his new record that’s out today, Flower Shops (The Album).
You probably recognize his name from his recent collaboration with his friend and frequent co-writer, Morgan Wallen, on their steel-soaked country heartbreaker, “Flower Shops”.
He’s pretty well-known in songwriting circles around Nashville, and even helped pen Morgan’s current single from his ACM Album of the Year, Dangerous: The Double Album, “Wasted On You”.
But today, Ernest released his second studio album, and if you like steel guitar, you might like quite a few songs on this tracklist.
I’ve only listened to it a couple times through, but the easy standout to me on the very first listen is a slow little love song called “Tennessee Queen.” The production is simple, the lyrics are solid, and I think people might be pleasantly surprised with some of the music he’s delivered here.
In a post on Twitter, he noted that he senses a shift in country music and a real thirst for more honesty in songs. Because of that, revealing all parts of the human experience, good and bad, was a goal of his on this album:
I think the concept on this track in particular is something a lot of people will relate to, and he throws in quite a few references to Elvis throughout that are fun to listen to.
Check out some of the lyrics:
“That ‘for sale’ sign says ‘sold’ now
We put ten down and it’s all ours
It’s bank-owned land, but I’ve got plans
To pay it off with this guitar
And this driveway’s made of gravel
And this porch don’t wrap around
No, you can’t call it a castle
But we’re sippin’ on some Crown”
He wrote this one with Dan Isbell and Jordan Schmidt, and if he’s picking another single anytime soon, it should hands down be this song:
“Comfortable When I’m Crazy” brings some good steel too.
