Having gotten his start as an ultra-successful songwriter on Music Row, ERNEST, whose given name is Ernest Keith Smith, has shown his fluency in both radio-ready pop and more classic country sounds in his solo work. Smith’s career got a jump start when he started cowriting songs with and for Morgan Wallen; soon after, Wallen returned the favor by appearing on ERNEST’s pedal-steel-laden ballad “Flower Shops.” The singer-songwriter’s flair for A-list collaborations is clear, whether with Wallen (ERNEST also appeared on “Cowgirls” and “The Dealer” by the global superstar), Lainey Wilson (as on “Would If I Could”), Diplo, Jelly Roll, Post Malone, or a swampy one-off with Snoop Dogg called “Gettin’ Gone.” But he’s done plenty to refine his sound as a soloist, often going unexpectedly vintage with his sound—take the romantic, bluesy “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” or the mournful “Tennessee Queen.”