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List Price: $13.98 | | Label: Mercury Nashville
Salesrank: 37820
Released: June 27, 2006 |
| Our Price: $5.49 |
| Used Price: $1.53 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Men & Mascara Track Listing:
1. Paint And Pillows
2. Smile
3. Too Damn Young
4. Men & Mascara
5. First To Never Know
6. Chasin' Whiskey
7. A Bridge That's Burning
8. Lonely Alone
9. That Ain't A Crime
10. Mama Don't Cry
11. All I Want Is You
12. Girl Next Door
Editorial Review:
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
Men & Mascara Reviews:
Julie is fantastic 
2008-10-22 - I repeat my comment for a previous cd of Julie Roberts... FANTASTIC. Questo CD è forse (e dico forse) più bello del precedente. Sono assolutamente convinto di aver fatto uno dei migliori acquisti della mia vita comperando i due dischi di Julie Roberts. Mi piace da impazzire e la consiglio a tutti... Julie...grazie di esistere!!! Un bacio Alberto
Distinctive and Impassioned
2008-07-02 - Julie Roberts has glamour-girl looks and powerful and mature material to go with the most intense, unconstrained vocals anywhere. Her voice sends chills up my spine. This is a powerful group of relationship songs which tap into your emotion with Julie's hearfelt delivery. "I sing about life and experiences," Julie says in the liner notes, and she delivers as well as any other vocalist today.
This is neo-traditional country at its finest, especially the title cut. She sings on traditional country themes/subjects as well: "chasin' whiskey," lonliness, coming of age, cheating, and mama. Distinctive from any other country female, these are torch ballads with a sultry, bluesy style reminicient of the greatest country and blues women. As much as I love Julie's interpretation of these songs, I'd like for her to cut loose even more and record more up-tempo songs too.
In response to other critics, I can't help but be moved by these songs, and I can't understand why anyone else wouldn't be, however, her material has the potential to improve. She has not, in my opinion, reached her pinnacle yet. This artist has superstar potential.
The Voice Of a Country Diva & the Lyrics of a Small-Town Girl
2008-06-07 - Why this women is not a star is beyond me! She is truly talented and beautiful; I cannot fathom why she doesn't have the "diva" status of Faith, Carrie, or LeeAnn. Actually, I can understand - its that Julie sings "real" country music. There are no pop tunes that can quickly become radio hits on her cds; just pure, country music.
Men & Mascara is a superior album from an underated star; this is one of my all-time favorite country cds. JR has a voice that rivals any country diva and her lyrics feel as authentic and true as the "twang" in her music. A must add to your colelction!
Strong Follow Up 
2008-05-21 - I didn't like this one quite as much as Julie's debut, but that's just because her debut was so excellent. That CD had more fiesty and energetic tunes, which I like. This disc is more subdued. However, the quality of the lyrics is very good. Most importantly, it showcases Julie's voice very well. Julie has one of the best voices out there. It is rich and "flavorful", has character to it. I hope Julie gets sufficient label and fan support to keep going.
I think Julie *could* record the best country album in decades...
2007-10-18 - ...on her next album, because there are moments of perfection here.
There's one terrible misstep - the inclusion of Saving Jane's "Girl Next Door" - and it's a very poor song choice. Mercury was clearly trying to capitalize on a potential cross-over pop-country single, and the album suffers for it's inclusion.
There are moments of blandness - "Too Damn Young", "First to Never Know", and "A Bridge That's Burning" sort of mesh together like 3 variations on the same generic mid-tempo plodder - and they are almost melodically indistinguishable.
But for those flaws, there are moments of sublime beauty. There are songs on this record that will give a certain kind of listener the chills....songs that make me wonder 'where did this girl come from, and how on earth does she evoke so much passion, authenticity, and misery in her vocals?'
The fact that she co-wrote "All I Want is You" speaks volumes about her ability not only as a vocalist, but as a songwriter as well. This is the best song she's ever recorded - and I would argue that it's the best country vocal performance of the past several years. Other highlights are found in the abject desperation of "Men and Mascara" and "Smile", and the sorrowful resignation of "Chasin' Whiskey". These are all top-shelf, emotionally edifying misery ballads of unusual depth and revelation.
If she could build a record with (and only with) songs like these four...I can't even imagine how truly great it would be.
