Seth Ennis says goodbye to more than just an old flame in his new track, “The Book.” The promising young artist puts an entire chapter of his life behind him.
Marking another step into a fresh start for talented upstart, “The Book” is a country song with a multi-layered theme — and one anyone who’s ever been burned will feel in their core.
On the one hand, Ennis says “The Book” relates a romantic breakup, and on the surface that’s easy enough to see. But on the other, it’s his tale of breaking up with Nashville — or at least his initial assumptions about Music City’s most famous business.
After arriving in town with a bang, joining a record-label roster and releasing acclaimed tunes like the idealized romantic soul of “Woke Up In Nashville,” the singer-songwriter was all but discarded by the country-music machine. And believe it or not, that didn’t sit well with him. Now though, he’s an independent artist again … and it seems to fit like a glove.
The creative rejuvenation is plain to hear on “The Book,” with intriguing electronic soundscapes and samples underneath a crisp, Top 40-style vocal — and plenty of heartbroken charisma. It’s the sound of Ennis’ new Nashville. But first he had to let go of the old one.
“Is it dragging my name through the dirt? / Is it blocking my number and telling everyone you’re the one who broke up with me first? / Is it sleeping around ‘cuz I can’t figure out, how you let me go so easy / Like no part of you still needs me / ‘Cuz if saying goodbye’s supposed to look / Like it ain’t hard to do, then baby you wrote the book,” goes the wounded hook.
“The first song I released when I moved to town was ‘Woke Up in Nashville,’ and a lot of fans found me with that song — so I kind of wanted this to sonically be ‘part two,’” he tells Sounds Like Nashville. “I also really thought it was important to get back to playing a lot of the instruments myself on the track, because I think doing that can sometimes make the emotion come through more, and make the track feel more raw. Everyone loves a good ole ballad salad.”
“Woke Up in Nashville” came out in 2016. Two years later Seth Ennis released “Call Your Mama” with Little Big Town, but then had to regroup. He dropped “U-Turn” to mark his artistic re-start earlier this year, and the promising artist also has a baby on the way.