The Heartbroken Record

Titling an album *The Heartbroken Record* is a bold move, setting up listener expectations before the first song even starts. But Lauren Watkins is an assured artist, and this full-length debut from the Nashville native is anything but cautious. Watkins tapped Music Row favorite Joey Moi (ERNEST, MacKenzie Porter) to produce the record, which she released through a partnership between Big Loud Records and Songs & Daughters, the latter a project launched by songwriter Nicolle Galyon to highlight women artists in country. *The Heartbroken Record* opens with “Leavers Leave,” on which it’s Watkins herself fleeing the scene in search of “another smoky bar” and a “lost highway.” “Gatlinburg” is a sweet and clear-eyed ode to the East Tennessee tourist mecca, which Watkins dubs a “poor man’s paradise.” And “Too Much to Dream,” which closes the project, cleverly plays on the idea of a hangover, though instead of too much booze, it’s “too much to think, too much to sleep.” Guests on the album include Sheryl Crow and Ashley Monroe.