From pop.idolator.com 2007 In the Mix:

Lauren Lucas's self-released debut EP is bursting with songs that could be hits with some marketing muscle, but "Riverstone" isn't one of them. That's because it's a worthy addition to the great country tradition of murder ballads, which the genre has rejected in favor of fetishizing blameless death (preferably that of a child, ideally from cancer). But the lyrical image of a naked woman with a Bible in one hand and a whiskey bottle in the other? As a wise man (well, David Allan Coe, anyway) once sang, "If that ain't country, I'll kiss your ass." --Chris Neal














From Nashville Scene, August 30, 2007 issue

She's your girl

As far too many talented young artists have learned, getting signed to a major in Nashville isn't the final step before actually seeing your face looking back to you from a record-store rack, in fact, it's sometimes an impediment. That's what South Carolina native Lauren Lucas discovered when she was signed to Warner Bros. Nashville just long enough to see her 2005 debut shelved after the first single sputtered out at No. 52. Finally freed of her corporate bonds, she took matters into her own hands. The result is the independently released If I Was Your Girl, a vibrant EP of soul-kissed country-pop whose actual, honest-to-god physical existence was celebrated with a CD release party at 12th & Porter Monday evening. Lucas' natural charisma and versatile voice, ranging from a husky croon to full-on soul belting, were deservedly the focus throughout a 45-minute set backed by her aptly named Bad Ass Band, with guitarist Rob McNelley's stinging leads a standout. The whole shindig could be seen on the Internet through Lucas' MySpace page, just one of the rapidly evolving technologies whose reach and power may give future Nashville newbies a valid reason not to sign on the dotted line in the first place."