She may come from Dallas, but it’s obvious Lauren Briant doesn’t want to limit herself to “Texas country”: she’s doing everything she can to make a name for herself in all of country radio.
Briant’s self-titled debut album kicks off strongly with the fast lyrics of the rock-infused, powerful “How You Wanna Hear Goodbye”. The follow-up track, “Love My Baby Bad”, shows her more country side and could be an up-tempo cut on any modern successful artist’s album. One of my personal favorites on the CD, also an upbeat track, is “My Side of His Story”. Co-written by Briant herself, you can tell she enjoys singing this one, with its extremely vivid images and original ‘hook’.
Though “My Side” and “How You Wanna” show Briant’s strong-willed, independent attitude towards love, she doesn’t leave out a few heartfelt tracks, like “Honey Don’t List”, another one of my favorites. “Who I Am with You” is another sweet song, featured in both regular and acoustic versions on the album. The lyrics to this one aren’t super original, but the song is still relaxing and enjoyable.
Besides this mix of themes and tunes, there are a few songs that maybe Briant was just having creative fun with, but got a little too cheesy, like “If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Your Mother” and “Running Out of Reasons”. However, all in all, Briant has a great combination of tracks that she should be proud of, especially the ones she penned with some of the most popular songwriters in Nashville, like Colt Ford, Matt Kennon, and Philip Douglas.
Find out more about Lauren Briant from her website, including her tour dates, photos, and merchandise, or visit her on Facebook and Twitter.
Amanda Wile is originally from Pennsylvania, but moved to Nashville in 2005 to attend Vanderbilt and to follow her love for music.