| Road Less Traveled | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 27, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–16 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:08 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | busbee | |||
| Lauren Alaina chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Road Less Traveled | ||||
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Road Less Traveled is the second studio album by American country music artist Lauren Alaina. The album was released on January 27, 2017, by Mercury Nashville and Interscope Records. It includes the number one single of the same name.
In January 2013, Alaina tweeted that she had started recording for her second album. [1] She released a new song, "Barefoot and Buckwild", as the record's purported lead single in May 2013, however it failed to perform on the charts. In August 2014, Alaina underwent vocal surgery; after her recovery, she returned to the studio to work on new material with a "more mature" feel. [2] By June 2015, she stated that the album was nearly finished. [3] Alaina has said that this album will be different from her first and describes it as, "[having] some fun songs and sad songs – a little bit of what my life has been like over the past few years." [4]
The album features four tracks that are on Alaina's self-titled EP, which was released in October 2015. [5] Alaina announced the album's title and track listing on December 5, 2016. [6] Alaina co-wrote all twelve tracks over three and a half years. [6] Road Less Traveled became available for pre-order on December 16, 2016. [7]
"Next Boyfriend" was released as the album's first single on September 15, 2015. [8]
The title track, "Road Less Traveled" was released as the album's second single on July 11, 2016. [9] [10] [11] It had previously served as the second single from Alaina's 2015 self-titled EP. [12]
"Doin' Fine" impacted American country radio on May 22, 2017, as the album's third single. [13]
"Queen of Hearts" was released to digital retailers as the album's first promotional single on December 30, 2016. [14] "Same Day Different Bottle" was released as the second promotional single on January 13, 2017. [15]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [16] |
| Roughstock | Positive [17] |
| Sounds Like Nashville | Positive [18] |
| Taste of Country | Mixed [19] |
| The Young Folks | 6/10 [20] |
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. "She may drift into the saccharine when she slows the tempo," he writes, "but the faster cuts are usually jubilant and help propel Road Less Traveled... into a strong modern country-pop album." [16] 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. [21] Katie Gill of pop culture blog The Young Folks rated the album six out of ten for its "polished" production and "uneven" songwriting. "When it's good, it's ridiculously good," she writes, "but the majority of the songs are middle of the road to outright bad." [20]
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." [17] 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." [18] 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." [19]
The album debuted at No. 31 on the Billboard 200, [22] and No. 3 on Top Country Albums in its first week of release. [23] It sold 9,700 copies in the first week, and a further 2,800 in the second week. [24] The album has sold 34,500 copies in the US as of January 2018. [25]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Doin' Fine" |
| 3:19 |
| 2. | "My Kinda People" |
| 3:03 |
| 3. | "Three" |
| 3:46 |
| 4. | "Road Less Traveled" |
| 3:36 |
| 5. | "Queen of Hearts" |
| 2:55 |
| 6. | "Think Outside the Boy" |
| 3:41 |
| 7. | "Painting Pillows" |
| 3:17 |
| 8. | "Next Boyfriend" |
| 3:12 |
| 9. | "Crashin' the Boys Club" |
| 2:57 |
| 10. | "Same Day Different Bottle" |
| 3:49 |
| 11. | "Holding the Other" |
| 3:56 |
| 12. | "Pretty" |
| 4:37 |
| Total length: | 42:08 | ||
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [26] | 31 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [27] | 3 |
| UK Country Albums (OCC) [28] | 7 |
Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 27, 2017. Alaina later achieved her first number one on the Country Airplay chart with the album's title track. Her second number one came later that year when she simultaneously topped five Billboard charts with her friend and former classmate Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". In addition to this song with Brown, Alaina became an in-demand duet vocalist throughout the next few years, appearing on number one collaborations with Hardy, Devin Dawson, and Dustin Lynch. Her third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was released on September 3, 2021.
"Barefoot and Buckwild" is a song by American country music singer Lauren Alaina. The song was written by Alaina with Chris DeStefano and Jon Nite. It was released on May 7, 2013 through Mercury Nashville and 19 Recordings as a standalone single.
Illinois is the second studio album by American country music artist Brett Eldredge. It was released on September 11, 2015 via Atlantic Records Nashville. Its lead single, "Lose My Mind", was released to country radio on May 4, 2015. The album's second single, "Drunk on Your Love" was released to country radio on November 9, 2015. The album's third single, "Wanna Be That Song" released to country radio on May 23, 2016. Eldredge co-wrote every song, and produced the album with Ross Copperman and Brad Crisler.
"Next Boyfriend" is a song by American country music singer Lauren Alaina. It is the first single from her 2015 self-titled EP and her second studio album, Road Less Traveled.
The 21 Project is the third studio album by American country music artist Hunter Hayes, released in physical format on November 6, 2015 through Atlantic Nashville. Hayes co-produced the collection with Dann Huff. The album includes five songs from his similarly-titled EP, 21, released earlier that year, as well as two new tracks. Each song is available as a studio recording, an acoustic recording, and a live performance from the Wheels Up Tour.
Lauren Alaina is the second extended play recorded by the American country music singer Lauren Alaina, released to digital retailers on October 2, 2015, by Mercury Nashville, Interscope Records and 19 Recordings. It promotes Alaina's second studio album, Road Less Traveled the follow-up to Wildflower (2011). Alaina co-wrote all five tracks.
You Should Be Here is the second studio album by American country music artist Cole Swindell. It was released on May 6, 2016 via Warner Bros. Nashville. The lead single, its title track, was released to radio on December 14, 2015. The song became Swindell's fourth number-one hit after it reached the top of both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts of Billboard magazine. The track listing was announced on April 4. The track "Flatliner" peaked at number two on US Country Airplay in 2017. "Flatliner" also hit number one on Mediabase country radio singles chart and was most played and heard August 6–12 receiving ~8,302 spins (+600) and ~52.136 million audience impressions.
Obsessed is the second studio album by American country pop duo Dan + Shay, released by Warner Bros. Nashville on June 3, 2016. The lead single, "From the Ground Up", was released in February 2016. The second single, "How Not To", was released in September 2016. The third single, "Road Trippin'" released on July 17, 2017.
"Road Less Traveled" is a song recorded by American country music singer Lauren Alaina for her 2015 self-titled EP. Alaina co-wrote the song with Jesse Frasure and Meghan Trainor. It was released to country radio through Mercury Nashville and Interscope Records on June 27, 2016, as the EP's second single and officially impacted the format on July 11, 2016. The song is also included on her second studio album of the same name (2017), and serves as the record's second single.
Kane Brown is the debut studio album by American country music singer Kane Brown. The album was released on December 2, 2016, through RCA Records Nashville. Singles released from the album are "Thunder in the Rain" and "What Ifs". An expanded deluxe edition of the album was released October 6, 2017 featuring four new tracks. The album and songs from the album reached number one simultaneously on all five main Billboard country charts, a first for any artist. "Heaven" was released as the album's first single from the re-release, and third single overall.
"You Look Good" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum and serves as the first single from the group's seventh studio album, Heart Break (2017), and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley. It was released on January 19, 2017 through Capitol Records Nashville and impacted American country radio on January 23. The song was written by Hillary Lindsey, Ryan Hurd, and its producer, busbee.
"What Ifs" is a song recorded by American singer Kane Brown featuring fellow American singer Lauren Alaina for Brown's self-titled debut album. The song was released with the album through RCA Nashville and was serviced to radio as the second single on February 6, 2017.
American singer and songwriter Lauren Alaina has released three studio albums, three extended plays, ten singles plus three as a featured artist, and eight music videos. Alaina rose to prominence in 2011 as the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, released in the fall of 2011, debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200. In 2017, Alaina became the only female to top both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Hot Country Songs chart in 2017. She achieved a further two number ones as a featured vocalist on Hardy and Devin Dawson's "One Beer", and Dustin Lynch's "Thinking 'Bout You". Her third album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was also released in 2021.
Deep South is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Josh Turner. It was released on March 10, 2017, through MCA Nashville. The album's lead single, "Lay Low", was released to radio on September 15, 2014, and reached number 25 on the Country Airplay chart. The second single, "Hometown Girl", was released to radio on May 31, 2016. The single peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Country Airplay Chart and No. 1 on Mediabase, making it Turner's fifth No. 1 single. The third single, "All About You" was released to radio on May 15, 2017. It is Turner's first release since 2012's Punching Bag.
Something's Going On is the sixteenth studio album by American country music artist Trace Adkins. It was released on March 31, 2017 via Wheelhouse Records.
Back to Us is the tenth and final studio album by American country music trio Rascal Flatts. It was released on May 19, 2017 through Big Machine Records. The group produced the album themselves, save one track on the deluxe edition, which was produced by Busbee. "Yours If You Want It" was released in January 2017 as the album's lead single, followed by the title track "Back to Us" in August of the same year. The album serves as a follow-up to 2014's Rewind. Back to Us earned the group their twelfth top-10 album on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. A deluxe edition of the album also includes the songs "Hands Talk," "Thieves," and "Roller Rink."
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"Doin' Fine" is a song recorded by American country music singer Lauren Alaina for her second studio album, Road Less Traveled (2017). Inspired by her parents' divorce, Alaina co-wrote the "semi-autobiographical" song with Emily Shackelton and the record's producer, busbee. It was released to American country radio May 22, 2017 as the album's third and final single.
Yours is the debut studio album by American country pop singer and songwriter Russell Dickerson. It was released on October 13, 2017, through Triple Tigers Records. Produced by Casey Brown, the record follows Dickerson's 2016 EP of the same name. Its lead single, the title track, has been certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.
Every Little Thing is the debut studio album by American country music artist Carly Pearce. It was released on October 13, 2017.
