Albumpedia
Register
Advertisement

Road Less Traveled is Lauren Alaina's second studio album which was released on January 27, 2017 by Mercury Nashville and Interscope Records.

Tracklisting[]

  1. Doin' Fine 3:20
  2. My Kinda People 3:04
  3. Three 3:47
  4. Road Less Traveled 3:37
  5. Queen Of Hearts 2:56
  6. Think Outside The Boy 3:41
  7. Painting Pillows 3:17
  8. Next Boyfriend 3:12
  9. Crashin' The Boys' Club 2:58
  10. Same Day Different Bottle 3:49
  11. Holding The Other 3:56
  12. Pretty 4:38

Chart Performance[]

"Road Less Traveled" debuted at #31 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, selling 9,700 copies during its first week.

The album has sold 34,500 copies in the US as of January 2018.

Critical Reception[]

"Road Less Traveled" received generally mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five and complimented Alaina on her songwriting, writing: "She may drift into the saccharine when she slows the tempo, but the faster cuts are usually jubilant and help propel Road Less Traveled... into a strong modern country-pop album."

Marissa Moss of Rolling Stone wrote that the album "marks not just a transition from singer to writer," but "[traces] the events of [Alaina's] life," through inspiring songs that, she says, harken back to the peak of Shania Twain's career.

Katie Gill of pop culture blog The Young Folks rated the album six out of ten for its "polished" production and "uneven" songwriting, writing: "When it's good, it's ridiculously good, but the majority of the songs are middle of the road to outright bad."

Matt Bjorke of Roughstock wrote a positive review of the album, which he says showcases Alaina's "growth" both as an artist and as a person and which "[feels] ready to make Lauren a household name."

Laura Hostelley of Sounds Like Nashville praised the "carefully crafted" album for combining personal lyrics with "modern and consistent" production that "allows opportunities for Alaina's voice to hold the spotlight."

In the blog's Album Spotlight feature, Taste of Country writer Cillea Houghton gave the album a mixed review. "Road Less Traveled starts off strong," she writes, "but gets a little watered down in the middle... But where it blends in melodically, Road Less Traveled stands out at the core with its lyrics, all about empowerment, positivity and loving yourself no matter what you’re faced with in life."

Advertisement