Ernest And Lukas Nelson Debut Classic Country Ballad, “A Penny Short”

I need the studio cut of this one, like, yesterday…

Last night, Jamey Johnson had a birthday celebration at the Grand Ole Opry, which included performances from Jamey himself, along with Megan Moroney, Randy Houser as well Ernest and Lukas Nelson.

Ernest and Lukas debuted a new song called “A Penny Short,” which is a beautiful classic country ballad that sounds like it could’ve been played on the Opry stage 40 years ago but still sounds fresh and current now with these two talented artists onstage.

Ernest has definitely leaned into this more traditional country sound over the last couple years, notably with the release of his Nashville, Tennessee album last year and it sounds like he’s still there in terms of his sound and this absolutely beautiful song. Ernest shared the full performance on Instagram, and confirmed in the caption that they’ve already recorded it so hopefully that means we’ll get to hear the studio cut sooner rather than later:

“Played a new one with Lukas Nelson tonight at the Opry! Side note: We’ve recorded this.”

It’s just timeless:

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These two have worked together before on Ernest’s aforementioned album, which includes a duet with Lukas called “Why Dallas” that they wrote with Chandler Walters, Grady Block and Jordan Merrigan, and has a lot of  west Texas flair, full of fiddle and steel guitar, with a great melody and solid lyrics that find the narrator wondering why his girl left Nashville, Tennessee for Dallas, Texas.

It’s definitely in the same vein of sound as the new one they just debuted, and while I don’t know if I necessarily would’ve put them together as a musical duo before, mostly because some of Ernest’s earlier work is much less traditional, they actually make a lot of sense in terms of the fact that they’re both very talented writers who have a lot of respect for the roots of the genre and the sound that made country so famous.

Lukas just released his debut solo album American Romance a couple weeks ago which is much more traditional and decidedly country than his previous work with his former band Promise of the Real, and I think it’s a natural fit and seems to be where he’s taking his sound for the foreseeable future.

It’s difficult to toe the line between keeping the traditional country sound alive while also making it fresh and current in 2025, but they have consistently done a wonderful job of it both as solo artists and as a duo, if you will, and I said about “Why Dallas” when it came out that I hoped they’d work together again, because they always seem to come up with magic together.

We needed a classic ballad like “A Penny Short” from them, and I will be ready to listen, on repeat, as soon as it gets released.

Until then, give this one a spin:

“Why Dallas”

The post Ernest And Lukas Nelson Debut Classic Country Ballad, “A Penny Short” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.