Product description NEW Combo BLUWAVS CD and FLAC FILE Amazon.com There's no sophomore slump here for Julie Roberts, whose second release is, if anything, richer and more powerful than her well-received debut. Credit the uniformly strong material, with not a throwaway among the eleven tracks, and four of the songs cowritten by Roberts. There's not a happy song among them, either, except for the nostalgic "Too Damn Young," about when love was fresh in a teenage way that it will never be again on the rest of the older-and-wiser material. The opening "Paint and Pillows" tells of a wife wronged by a cheating husband, and a hurt that can't be masked by window dressing. "First to Never Know" and "Lonely Alone" find a woman on the run from a relationship gone cold, while "A Bridge That's Burning" sings of the refusal to become the other woman. Best of all is the title track, through which the bittersweet voice of experience warns that "men and mascara always run." Though Roberts has the glamour-girl look of a Faith Hill, the Southern bluesiness of her vocal phrasing is closer to Lucinda Williams, and the fiddle and steel guitar that dominate Byron Gallimore's production show country music making few concessions to pop. --Don McLeese Review .....a booming voice and poignant lyrics make her a real standout. -- Life Magazine - Editors Pick....just-as-stong-follow-up....best on ballads with sweeping choruses and deep, romantic undertow.... -- Rolling Stone - 3.5 Stars our of 5....more traditional approach....exquisite details....excellent taste in material. -- USA Today - 3 Stars...vocals that give perfect twang and carry lots of power...elevating genre cliche into art again and again. -- Blender - July 2006 - 4 STARS!Roberts is a full-blooded, utterly real woman delivering one killer cut after another. -- Philadelphia Sunday Inquirer - 4 StarsRoberts is capable of something more, making her the rareset of Nashville creatures, artist who's more interesting than she seems. -- No Depression - July/August IssueRoberts sounds like she's really lived every romantic near-death experience here. -- Entertainment Weekly - B+She's as great as ever, the possessor of a solid South Carolina twang fused with a soulful, smoky, heartfelt delivery. -- Country Music People - 4 1/2 Stars - June 2006She's got a big, soulful voice..... make Roberts the star she deserves to be. -- Atlanta Journal Constitution - B+Through it all, Robert's blues-tinged vocals deepen the indigo shade of her tunes. -- People Magazine - 3 1/2 Stars out of 4 About the Artist With her deep, blues-soaked voice that poignantly captures the pain of the wronged and forgotten, Julie Roberts quickly became a favorite of the fans and fickle music critics alike. Entertainment Weekly awarded her 2004 self-titled debut CD an ‘A’, calling it "one of the most auspicious debuts in years." The New York Times said Roberts’ aching and resolute hit, "Break Down Here," was "one of the year’s best country ballads." Spotting her talent early, CMT selected Roberts to be the first artist ever to appear in In the Moment, the music network’s hour-long documentary on the making of a star. The album was certified gold and led to two Horizon Award nominations from the Country Music Association, as well as a Top New Artist nomination and a Top New Female Vocalist nomination from the Academy of Country Music Awards, as well as a Breakthrough Artist nomination from the CMT Awards. She delivered two memorable performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and was chosen over artists in all musical genres to sing the "Good To Go" theme song of the television show Good Morning America. "It’s been amazing," she says of her success. "We’ve played so many places and I’ve been to so many places. But I haven’t really had time to sit back and reflect on all we’ve done." With her debut CD, Roberts was country music’s Cinderella, a stunning blonde from Lancaster, S.C., who stole everyone’s heart with her honest music, cover-girl looks, exuberant personality and irresistible laughter. And now with her second album, Men & Mascara, Roberts proves she’s in it for the long run. Men & Mascara, produced by Byron Gallimore (Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill), is an impressive collection of songs certain to stand the test of time. After touring non-stop for two years, Roberts has honed her signature vocal style and developed a newfound confidence that she unleashes on her sophomore release. That self-assurance allowed her to rise to the level of Gallimore’s musical direction, which included twice the number of musicians as her first album and introduced the fiddle to Roberts’ music, as well as more steel guitar and mandolin. "It shows my maturity as an artist vocally and artistically, because I wrote on it," says Roberts, who co-penned four songs—First To Never Know, Smile, A Bridge That’s Burning and All I Want. "I think it’s a step up, the next step." In terms of musical progression, it’s more of the same, only better. "I’ve been getting a great response to my first record on the road, people singing my songs and telling me, ‘Don’t change your next record much. We love it.’ So I knew I wanted it to be a lot of the same," she says. "My mindset didn’t change that much. I started looking for songs that meant something to me, just like I did for my first album. Every lyric I sing has to mean something to me." Roberts admits the abundance of critical acclaim she enjoyed from her debut CD became a double-edged sword because she was concerned about living up to such high expectations. "You still worry about that, but this is the best that I could have done, and I am not worried," she says. If early reaction is any indication, continued success is what’s in store for Roberts this year. The clever title track is generating industry buzz for its fresh look at two staples in a woman’s life. Bob Oermann calls it "captivating in the extreme. "I’m happiest on the road," she says. "That is my salvation and people get that when they come to my shows. I love playing; that is what I have always loved. I make out my set list before the show and I think about where I’m playing and who I am playing for. We change the set list every night, most of the time." "It’s what I dreamed about my whole life. When I step on the bus and into that back room, something comes over me. Every time Luke Lewis sees me, he says, ‘Are you still having fun? You’ve got to like it, Julie; it’s your life.’ And I do. I’m having the time of my life." See more