The country star gives fans a five-song preview
Ernest has unveiled plans for his highly-anticipated sophomore album, Nashville, Tennessee. Produced by Joey Moi and available April 12th, the 26-track project brings to life the musical vision of one the modern era’s most impactful country hitmakers and pays homage in name, and sonically, to Ernest’s hometown city. The news was first revealed yesterday (Thurs, Mar 14th) in a viral Nashville mayoral campaign video featuring Ernest, who gave details of the upcoming album, including news of the release of five new songs from the project.
As part of the album’s pre-order launch, Ernest released the video and song for “I Went To College / I Went To Jail,” featuring fellow Nashville-native Jelly Roll, as well as tracks “Ain’t As Easy,” “How’d We Get Here,” “Ain’t Too Late,” and “Why Dallas” featuring Lukas Nelson, which join already available songs “Kiss Of Death” and “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” from the project. The award-winning artist first unveiled a taste of his new music with the release of his song “Kiss Of Death,” which had the chart-topping singer/songwriter “digging deeper into some of the stuff I was cutting my teeth on as a real young kid,” including the first instrument he ever learned, banjo. “…With a banjo and a dream, all the folk/bluegrass influences that I absorbed from such a young age,” he added of the new project. In addition to the previously released tracks and five new songs including collaborations with Jelly Roll and Lukas Nelson, the new album will include additional musical collaborations with Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wallen, Hardy, and Ernest’s two-year-old son, Ryman.
Nashville, Tennessee is the follow-up to Ernest’s 2021 debut album, Flower Shops (The Album), which featured the two-time platinum title-track “Flower Shops” featuring Morgan Wallen and gave fans a glimpse of Ernest’s edgy artistic styling. Known for penning some of country music’s biggest recent hits, Ernest has to date earned nine No. 1s, including Jelly Roll’s two-time platinum “Son of a Sinner,” Kane Brown’s platinum “One Mississippi,” Sam Hunt’s [latinum “Breaking Up Was Easy In The 90’s,” Chris Lane’s two-time platinum “Big, Big Plans,” and Morgan Wallen hits including seven-time platinum “Wasted On You,” four-time platinum “You Proof,” five-time platinum “More Than My Hometown,” and platinum “Everything I Love.” He’s scored over a billion streams as a solo artist to date and recently sold-out back-to-back shows at the famed Ryman Auditorium.
- “I Went To College / I Went To Jail (feat. Jelly Roll)” (Ernest Keith Smith, Chandler Paul Walters, Rivers Rutherford, Luke Bryan)
- “Ain’t As Easy” (Ernest Keith Smith, Dean Dillon, Jessie Jo Dillon, Chandler Paul Walters)
- “Why Dallas (feat. Lukas Nelson)” (Ernest Keith Smith, Chandler Paul Walters, Grady Block, Jordan Merrigan, Lukas Nelson)
- “One More Heartache” (Ernest Keith Smith, Chandler Paul Walters, Jessie Jo Dillon, Dean Dillon)
- “Hangin’ On (feat. Morgan Wallen)” (Ernest Keith Smith, Grady Block, Rhys Rutherford, Jacob Durrett, Rafe Tenpenny)
- “Did It For The Story” (Ernest Keith Smith, John Byron, Ryan Vojtesak, Blake Pendergrass)
- “How’d We Get Here” (Ernest Keith Smith)
- “Never Said I Love You” (Ernest Keith Smith, Chandler Paul Walters)
- “Would If I Could (feat. Lainey Wilson)” (Dean Dillon, Donald Ewing II)
- “Honkytonk Fairytale” (Ernest Keith Smith, Rafe Tenpenny, Dallas Wilson, Brad Clawson)
- “Smokin’ Gun” (Ernest Keith Smith, Rhys Rutherford, Grady Block, Ryan Vojtesak, Blake Pendergrass)
- “Twinkle Twinkle (Live At Fenway Park) [feat. Ryman Saint]” (Jane Taylor)
- “Life Goes On” (Ernest Keith Smith, Ashley Gorley, Ryan Vojtesak)
- “If You Don’t Know By Now” (Clint Daniels, Dale Dodson)
- “You Don’t Have To Die” (Clint Ingersoll, Chris Stapleton)
- “Redneck Sh*ttt” (Ernest Keith Smith, Mark Holman, Nicolle Galyon)
- “Small Town Goes” (Ernest Keith Smith, Grady Block, Cody Lohden, Ryan Vojtesak, Chandler Paul Walters)
- “Kiss Of Death” (Ernest Keith Smith, Andy Albert, Ryan Vojtesak)
- “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” (John Clayton Mayer)
- “Ain’t Too Late” (Ernest Keith Smith, Grady Block, Chandler Paul Walters, Jordan Merrigan, Cody Lohden)
- “Sayin’ You Love Me” (Ernest Keith Smith, Mark Holman, James McNair)
- “Summertime Flies” (Ernest Keith Smith, Rafe Tenpenny, Grady Block, Jacob Durrett, Ross Portaro)
- “Ain’t Right Ain’t Wrong” (Ernest Keith Smith, Rhys Rutherford, Ryan Vojtesak)
- “Creep (feat. Hardy)” (Colin Greenwood, Jonathan Greenwood, Albert Hammond, Michael Hazlewood, Edward O’Brien, Philip Selway, Thomas Yorke)
- “Bars On My Heart” (Ernest Keith Smith, Mark Holman, Nicolle Galyon)
- “Dollar To Cash” (Ernest Keith Smith, Grady Block, Rafe Tenpenny, Brett Tyler)
