Flower Shops (The Album)

ERNEST broke into Nashville as a songwriter, penning hits for Sam Hunt, Chris Lane, Jake Owen, and Morgan Wallen, songs positioned squarely at the middle of the country road. It should come as no surprise that Flower Shops -- his second album released nearly three years after Locals Only -- follows this same path, perhaps veering even closer to soft rock than any of his peers. ERNEST keeps things on an even simmer on Flower Shops, moving so smoothly that its difficult to discern songs of love and seduction from heartbreak ballads. The production gleams so brightly that Wallens cameo on the title track also doesnt completely register; it sounds like ERNEST is duetting with himself. There are some charms to this slick, soft groove: By dodging the melancholy lingering at the fringes of a handful of his songs, ERNEST winds up with a record that glides along nicely, providing some nice mood music for whatever mellow moment you might be experiencing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine