#577 (Nation Soul) on the Nation DDS.
Your pure inclination is to inform Ernest to decide on a lane. With songs like his Double Platinum Prime 20 hit “Flower Retailers,” or “Would If I May” from his 2024 album Nashville, Tennessee, he captures the very best of conventional nation music within the fashionable context. He’s extra true nation than even Zach Prime, and with higher songs. The man actually deserves to be within the dialog as one of many high traditionalists of our time.
Then in fact he’ll be hanging out with Morgan Wallen and Hardy, and launch some form of godawful Bro-Nation redux. Each of those sides of Ernest had been on show when he carried out on the Two Step Inn Competition in central Texas earlier this month. He performed the 2 aformentioned conventional nation tunes and it was wonderful. The earlier yr Ernest additionally hosted a Keith Whitley tribute on the pageant with Zach Prime and Sierra Ferrell performing. It was lights out too.
However then Ernest pulled out some form of drum-programmed hip-hop rubbish at Two Step Inn, after which sang “I Had Some Assist”—the massive mega summer season hit from Morgan Wallen and Publish Malone. Ernest was one of many eight songwriters on the observe, so apparently he has simply as a lot company to carry out it as anybody else, even when it caught out like a form thumb at a conventional/unbiased nation pageant.
When phrase leaked out that Ernest had been noticed in downtown Nashville just lately with Snoop Dogg capturing some form of video, you anticipated the worst. Let’s not overlook that Ernest’s profession began in nation rap and Bro-Nation even earlier than he blew up as a part of the Morgan Wallen crew. Hanging out with Snoop Dogg might solely result in some horrible nation rap hybrid.
However as unhealthy as this might have been, it doesn’t sound unhealthy in any respect. As a substitute of blending nation and rap, it blends nation and soul, not dissimilar to the music of oldsters like Brent Cobb or Adam Hood, with a definite classic really feel. It’s Southern temper music. And no, it’s probably not Snoop Dogg’s “gone nation” second any greater than singing “Roll Me Up And Smoke Me Once I Die” with Willie Nelson was, which to be frank, was extra shticky and cringe than that is.
Snoop Dogg isn’t going nation. At this level he’ll do something. He’s on the market starring in T-Cellular commercials. How gangster. Actually, what this music is usually about is Ernest beginning his personal label known as DeVille Information, which can nest beneath the surging label Massive Loud. That is the rationale Ernest is driving a classic Cadillac DeVille within the video for “Gettin’ Gone.”
Snoop Dogg’s verses are actually what drag the music down. They simply don’t supply loads of worth to what the music is meant to be about and are extra about turning the eye to Snoop Dogg. And because it’s Snoop Dogg, in fact there must be weed references and such. At this level Snoop Dogg seems like a caricature of himself.
On this second when Lana Del Rey, Ed Sheeran, Publish Malone 2.0, Chappell Roan, Julien Baker and Torres, Beyoncé, and nearly everybody else is deciding to “go nation,” this feels innocent, or virtually welcomed. You wish to get incited a few nation/rap collaboration, attempt on “All The Manner” by BigXthaPlug that includes Bailey Zimmerman, which occurs to be the #1 on the Billboard Sizzling Nation Songs chart in the mean time.
As unusual as it might appear, Ernest is a part of the trouble pulling nation extra nation as of late, together with influencing Morgan Wallen extra in that course. If he desires to have some enjoyable with Snoop Dogg, it may be forgettable, however it additionally feels innocent.
6.5/10
