"... Road Less Traveled almost plays like a second debut album. It announces a new Lauren Alaina, one who is happy to be a country diva in the vein of Carrie Underwood. Wildflower, her 2011 album, also carried a debt to Underwood but it retained a bit of a twang, whereas Road Less Traveled is a big, bright country confection. Alaina co-wrote every one of the 12 songs and whether they're ballads or chipper pop tunes, they're usually sturdy numbers. She may drift into the saccharine when she slows the tempo - the closing "Pretty" is a self-empowerment anthem that attempts to spin Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" toward Middle America - but the faster cuts are usually jubilant and help propel Road Less Traveled, turning it into a strong modern country-pop album".