Ernest: ‘Flower Shops (The Album): Two Dozen Roses’ – Album Review

Ernest’s full-length deluxe album, Flower Shops (The Album): Two Dozen Roses is out now, February 10th on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new album below.

Ernest K. Smith, known professionally as ERNEST, has been churning out hits for the biggest stars in country music over the past five years, including Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown, Chris Lane, Sam Hunt, Morgan Wallen, and many others. Last year, he released his sophomore record, FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM), an eleven-track project named after the RIAA platinum hit with friend and frequent collaborator, Morgan Wallen. While still in the songwriting business, fans loved what they heard from ERNEST on a personal note, encouraging the Nashville-native to release an additional thirteen tracks on a deluxe version titled FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM): Two Dozen Roses.

“I can’t wait for everyone to hear the new music,” ERNEST shared in a recent press release. “It’s even more of the real, honest storytelling that the album was built on, and continues the character’s love story right where it left off with ‘Some Other Bar.’ It’s very reflective, I think everyone will be able to relate to a part of the story in some way. I’m really proud of it!”

On December 16, ERNEST teased the sound and theme of the record with three new songs, “Miss That Girl, “Songs We Used To Sing,” and “Unhang The Moon.” In “Miss That Girl,” the singer shares in conspicuously catchy lyricism how hard it is to move on and admit how much you miss someone. “Songs We Used To Sing” leans into the nostalgia of it all—the breakup ruined all his favorite tunes because he thinks of her when he hears them. Finally, “Unhang The Moon” is the ultimate heartbreak song in which he confesses all his regrets regarding the relationship. The three songs all tell a similar story, as Ernest seems to access more and more emotions with his vocals.

As for the new tracks, “Done At A Bar,” “What Have I Got To Lose,” “Heartache In My 100 Proof,” and “Burn Out,” also touch on heartbreak. The former is a play on the phrase ‘easier said than done.’  The singer admits that it is easy to say things that will fix a relationship when intoxicated at a bar, but when the morning comes, the sweet nothings uttered from the night before fizzle, becoming drunken lies and failed promises. The latter, however, touches on a love that moved too fast. Although it may seem like the real thing at first, all flames eventually die out, and that’s exactly what happened to the singer in this track. 

“Knew it when we started off of both ends // Girl we should’ve seen where this was going // ‘Couple flames just fighting back against a cold wind // Throttles wide open, eyes closed keeping them fire stones smokin’ ‘til we burn out”

On the flip side of heartbreak, love is another major theme on the record. In “Wild Wild West” the singer boasts about how he loves how unpredictable his woman is. “Hill” is another one in which the singer imagines the perfect life he is going to share with the person he loves.

“Drunk With My Friends,” “Anything But Sober,” and “This Fire,” touch on ERNEST’s fun and lighter side. The former is a happy, bar anthem with a tropical theme that has the singer explaining to his woman the reasoning behind his bad decisions. The most amusing part of the track is ERNEST’s use of cartoon voices; the Charlie Brown trombone noise symbolizes the singer’s woman nagging him, and he subtly sneaks in the narrator’s voice from Spongebob before the second verse to say “three days later” before his next inebriated mishap. In the last chorus, he tells her to go get margaritas with her friends to ease the stress. The next two resemble the 90s era of country that so many artists are attempting to replicate these days—ERNEST does a perfect job of recreating the sound with a hint of modernism. In the latter, the singer uses whiskey to put out the fire he has created in the real world.

“Wrecking my world, Lord, and burning it down // There’s fire, fire all over this town // All the tears in her eyes that she’s cried can’t put out this fire”

ERNEST continues to showcase his prowess as a songwriter and a vocalist with FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM): Two Dozen Roses. With thirteen unique tracks, the talented rising star demonstrates how being versatile can make one overarching theme so fascinating and thought-provoking. We are excited to see his career take off, and this album will be the launching pad of something very special. 

Flower Shops (The Album): Two Dozen Roses Tracklist:

1. “Sucker for Small Towns” (Ernest Keith Smith, Jacob Durrett, Ashley Gorley)
2. “Tennessee Queen” (Ernest Keith Smith, Dan Isbell, Jordan Schmidt)
3. “Classic” (Ernest Keith Smith, Jacob Durrett)
4. “Feet Wanna Run” (Ernest Keith Smith, Chris LaCorte, Brad Warren, Brett Warren)
5. “Comfortable When I’m Crazy” (Ernest Keith Smith, Rodney Clawson)
6. “Flower Shops” (feat. Morgan Wallen) (Ernest Keith Smith, Ben Burgess, Mark Holman)
7. “Did It With You” (Ernest Keith Smith, Rodney Clawson, Nathan Spicer)
8. “What It’s Come To” (Ernest Keith Smith, Lily Rose, Ryan Vojtesak)
9. “If You Were Whiskey” (Ernest Keith Smith, Michael Carter, Ben Hayslip)
10. “Some Other Bar” (Ernest Keith Smith, Ashley Gorley, Ryan Vojtesak)
11. “Flower Shops” (feat. Morgan Wallen) [Acoustic] (Ernest Keith Smith, Ben Burgess, Mark Holman)
12. “This Fire” (Ernest Keith Smith, Rocky Block, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan)
13. “Wild Wild West” (Ernest Keith Smith, Jacob Durrett, Rafe Tenpenny)
14. “Hill” (Ernest Keith Smith, Jordan Schmidt, Brett Tyler)
15. “Burn Out” (Ernest Keith Smith, Andy Albert, Jordan Dozzi, Hunter Phelps)
16. “Nothin To Lose” (Ernest Keith Smith, Mark Holman, Josh Osborne)
17. “Songs We Used to Sing” (Ernest Keith Smith, Justin Ebach, Charles Kelley)
18. “Done at a Bar” (Ernest Keith Smith, Josh Thompson)
19. “Drunk With My Friends” (Ernest Keith Smith, Jordan Schmidt, Josh Thompson)
20. “Anything But Sober” (Ernest Keith Smith, Alysa Vanderheym)
21. “What Have I Got to Lose” (Ernest Keith Smith, Brian Kelley, Dean Dillon)
22. “Heartache in My 100 Proof” (feat. Jake Worthington) (Ernest Keith Smith, Jordan Schmidt, Josh Thompson)
23. “Unhang The Moon” (Ernest Keith Smith, Grady Block, Brad Clawson, Jacob Durrett)
24. “Miss That Girl” (Ernest Keith Smith, Brad Clawson, Jacob Durrett)

Country Swag Picks:

1. Drunk With My Friends
2. This Fire
3. Done At A Bar
4. Burn Out

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ERNEST is going on Morgan Wallen’s massive ‘One Night At A Time’ World Tour along with Parker McCollum, HARDY, and Bailey Zimmerman. The group will play two shows at Metlife Stadium on May 19-20, as well as some of the largest NFL and MLB stadiums across North America. For tickets, head to his website.

To keep up with ERNEST, follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.