Of his albums, the highest-certified are 1993's Alibis and 1996's Time Marches On, each certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Lawrence made his debut in late 1991 on Atlantic Records with the single "Sticks and Stones", which topped the Billboard charts in January 1992.

Following this song came several more top ten country hits, including four straight number ones from Alibis, and one each from I See It Now and Time Marches On.

His chart success waned in 1997 when "The Coast Is Clear" stalled at number 26 on the country charts, and he did not return to the top 40 again until late 1999–early 2000 with "Lessons Learned", the title track to his final Atlantic album.

A largely unsuccessful self-titled album was released in 2001 via Warner Bros. Records Nashville after Atlantic closed its country division, followed by 2004's Strong on the DreamWorks Records label, which produced the number 4 "Paint Me a Birmingham".