"Because of her poppy spunk and girl-you-know delivery, the Columbia native will remind you of Dolly Parton sipping tea with Wynonna in a blues joint."  -- Otis Taylor, The State


"She's generating praise for a voice that's bright, expressive, and immediately recognizable, as well as a genuine earthiness that can't be manufactured or taught."  -- Nashville City Paper


Featured in Nashville Scene's list of "Five Women Threatening To Give Mainstream Country A Good Name."


"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, pop.idolator.com 2007 In the Mix



"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."  -- Nashville Scene, August 30, 2007 issue