Crooner keeps it country

Country honky-tonker Julie Roberts doesn't tone down the twang for her sophomore album "Men & Mascara." Good for her – and us.
With her smoky, blues-influenced voice, Roberts glides through a 12-track collection and which is as equally pleasing as her 2004 self-titled debut, though with more flair.
On lead single "Men & Mascara," Roberts' voice blends pain and vulnerability with a zesty hook that Shania would kill for. "She was lookin' for love; he was lookin' for fun/Yeah, men and mascara always run."
"Mascara's" make-up takes off where the last album left off, churning heartbreak into a work of art. But it's her voice, ripping with full-grown emotions, that distinguishes her from the typical pop-country female chanteuses.
And although she only co-penned three tracks, she has a keen eye for choosing wisely written tunes like the sassy break-up song "First To Never Know," "A Bridge That's Burning" and the sentimental on-my-own ditty "Mama Don't Cry."
"Cry" is the kind of tune that thrusts its emotions deep in the soul and doesn't let go. Not for a second.
On "Too Damn Young" the bombshell blonde from South Carolina recalls gettin' some, her husky vocals opening up, but then resisting the typical big-voiced chorus finale. It's a pleasant U-turn.
Super producer Byron Gallimore doesn't desert the country sparkle of "Mascara's" tracks – bursting with mandolin and fiddle – for pop-sounding radio-friendly tunes. Unlike its slower-trudging predecessor, "Men & Mascara" shies away from dawdling ballads, and wisely puts Robert's voice in the forefront of rich, shimmering sounds that evoke country queens like Patsy Cline.
On the second single, the Saving Jane remake "Girl Next Door," Roberts' smoky voice sounds right in place with her persona – a Faith Hill look-a-like that's as pretty as she is talented.