ERNEST shared that he “had the honor of recording a song written by the great Toby Keith.”

The Nashville, Tennessee-born country artist released “End Of The Night” from his upcoming third studio record, Deep Blue, which was “heavily influenced and inspired by the sounds and spirit of the U.S. Virgin Islands.” A press release issued Friday (March 27) notes that “thematically,” the album nods to ERNEST’s first-ever project from 2019; however, listeners will note the singer-songwriter’s “growth against the backdrop of a tropical escape,” seven years later. ERNEST pulled from archives and “unearthed a set of backlog cuts from Music Row legends,” including Nathan Chapman, Tony Lane, Scotty Emetic, Paul Overstreet and others, in addition to Keith.

Keith teamed up to write “End Of The Night” with David Lee Murphy and Bobby Pinson. The Oklahoma-born legend died in February 2024 after a years-long battle with stomach cancer. He was 62. Keith is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

Deep Blue Tracklist

Lorelei (Ernest Keith Smith, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, Mark Holman)
Edge Of The U.S.A. (Ernest Keith Smith, Jacob Durrett, Chris Lane)
What’s A Little Rain (Ernest Keith Smith, Rodney Clawson, David Garcia)
Lucky (Ernest Keith Smith, Cody Lohden)
Quit While We’re Behind (Ernest Keith Smith, Scotty Emerick, Trent Tomlinson)
Somewhere In The Caribbean (Scotty Emerick, Paul Overstreet)
End Of The Night (Toby Keith, David Lee Murphy, Bobby Pinson)
Waste A Day (Ernest Keith Smith, Rodney Clawson, David Garcia)
Deep Blue (Ernest Keith Smith, Grady Block, Rocky Block, Hank Compton, Jamie McLaughlin)
If I’m Not Careful (Ernest Keith Smith, Ronnie Bowman, Clint Daniels, Chandler Paul Walters)
Same Moon (Ernest Keith Smith, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, Mark Holman)
Boat Named After You (Nathan Chapman, Tony Lane)
Time Is A Thief feat. Lukas Nelson (Matt McKinney, Rivers Rutherford, Jimmy Yeary)

“I want to say thank you to the fans that have been here since the Local Only [2019] Days.” ERNEST, who co-produced the album with Jacob Durrett, said in a statement. “If you are new here, thank you for joining the ride. Most importantly, I want to thank the ocean and the islands. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. I found myself in that Caribbean water and will always call it home away from home.”

Deep Blue will release on May 1. ERNEST shared a clip of “End Of The Night” on Instagram on Monday (March 30). Listen to the full song here: