Lauren Watkins: ‘In A Perfect World’ – Album Review

Lauren Watkins releases her brand new album, In A Perfect World, out now, October 10th on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new project here.

With In A Perfect World, Lauren Watkins delivers an intimate portrait of a young woman and rising superstar coming into her own. Released via Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters, the 10-track collection builds on the momentum of her breakout debut The Heartbroken Record, this time finding Watkins leaning further into her unique style. She’s a storyteller in the vein of Kacey Musgraves, Carly Pearce, and Alison Krauss, but possesses a honeyed tone that’s akin to Trisha Yearwood meets Ashley Monroe.

The result is masterful and gorgeous. An effortless combination of sweet and sassy, Watkins leans heavily into country instrumentation and tropes. She collaborated throughout with her husband and producer, Will Bundy, as well as hitmaker Joey Moi. The singer-songwriter co-penned all of the album’s tracks, alongside superstar writers like Trannie Anderson, Rodney Clawson, Natalie Hemby, Mark Trussell and more. 

“I am so beyond proud of this music,” shared Watkins. “I’ve lived so much life in the past couple years, from playing shows all over the world and spending half of my time on the road, to building a sweet little life in a farmhouse with my husband. It’s made me appreciate so many parts of all of it. I’ve started embracing the simple things just as much as the chaos. And that’s what inspired these 10 songs. It paints a good picture of what my world looks like these days, but I really hope people can see their own world within it too.”   

The album opens on an almost ethereal note with the title track, a lush and dreamy ballad that wonders about love and perfection. With lyrics like “It might be nice to have a shiny white picket fence life // But I bet a man like you would never love this girl in a perfect world,” Watkins sets the tone for an album steeped in realism, longing, and self-awareness. 

She continues to showcase her lyricism on standout tracks like the ode to a “perfectly predictable” love on “Average Joe and Plain Jane” and “Love Is Tough,” a powerful testament to the enduring qualities of real love. With its building arrangement and heartland grit, it recalls the musical punch of “Gatlinburg” from her debut. “It’s all breakups ‘til you meet the one,” she muses, her voice both full of whimsy and wisdom.

“When it’s right, when it’s real // Love is downright hard to kill // Holds its own strong as steel // Stands its ground, digs in its heels // Any storm, any weather // It’ll hold this thing together // There ain’t nothin’ it’s scared of // Love is tough”

Songs like “Britches” and “I’ll Get Through It” show her steely and empowered side, with the former calling out a frenemy who’s let her ego take over. With the zinger “You might be a size two, but you’re too big for your britches,” it’s Watkins at her sassiest yet. Meanwhile, “Get Through It” is a stomping testament to perseverance. “I got a hangover in store // But just like you walking out that door / I’ll get through it.” 

“Marlboro Man” is a wistful and Western ode to nostalgia, while “Lose My Cool” feels inspired  by the heyday of 90s country. Likewise, the harmonic and swooping “I Was Fine Before I Met You” would sound right at home on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Interestingly, the steel-laden track begins with its chorus in a way that’s unique and perfectly executed.

“I was fine before I met you // I was wild and twenty-three // Out here drinkin’ for a good time // Not tryin’ to kill a memory It might be hard to forget you // Hope it don’t take too damn long // But I was fine before I met you // So there ain’t no reason why I won’t be fine when you’re gone”

Watkins pairs with John Morgan on a sultry duet, singing through the back-and-forth of an on-and-off again relationship, equal parts irresistible and doomed. Their voices meld gorgeously on the bittersweet chorus, mapping the emotional rollercoaster with precision.

“You and me // Crown and Coke Six string // Playin’ slow One backslide turns into tellin’ our friends that we’re // Back in love, They’ll roll their eyes We’ll say they’re wrong // But prove ‘em right // Wind up heartbroken all over again // We’ve been down this road // We both know it’s a slippery slope”

The album closes with the heart-wrenching “Pretty Please,” one of Watkins’ most vulnerable songs to date. Suspicious and insecure, she pleads for reassurance as jealousy creeps in, wondering where she stands in her own relationship: “Don’t call her pretty / Please, with a cherry on top,” She pleads, voice aching with emotion as she wonders about the “second comin’ of Jolene.”

In A Perfect World is a gorgeously crafted, deeply personal record that proves Lauren Watkins to be a vital new voice in country music.

Country Swag Picks:

1. Average Joe and Plain Jane
2. Slippery Slope (with John Morgan)
3. Love Is Tough
4. I’ll Get Through It

In A Perfect WorldTracklist:

1. In A Perfect World (Lauren Watkins, Mia Mantia, Caroline Watkins) 
2. Love Is Tough (Lauren Watkins, Will Bundy, Mark Trussell, Lydia Vaughan) 
3. I’ll Get Through It (Lauren Watkins, Trannie Anderson, Will Bundy) 
4. Marlboro Man (Lauren Watkins, Natalie Hemby, Jeremy Spillman) 
5. Slippery Slope (feat. John Morgan) (Lauren Watkins, Will Bundy, Mark Trussell, Lydia Vaughan) 
6. Average Joe and Plain Jane (Lauren Watkins, Lauren Hungate, Luke Laird, Caroline Watkins) 
7. Britches (Lauren Watkins, Trannie Anderson, Will Bundy, Mia Mantia) 
8. Lose My Cool (Lauren Watkins, Will Bundy, Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon) 
9. I Was Fine Before I Met You (Lauren Watkins, Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird) 
10. Pretty Please (Lauren Watkins, Lauren Hungate, Luke Laird)

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For tour dates and more, visit the singer-songwriter’s website here.

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In A Perfect World is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.