Julie Roberts kicked around Nashville for years, scoring a few minor hits but mostly being too country or too bluesy for her record company. Then 2013’s Good Wine and Bad Decisions came out on the legendary Sun Records label: a place perfect for those who don’t quite fit the mold. Roberts made the best of it as the first artist on the revamped label. She teamed with Buddy Miller on “Gasoline and Matches” and with Vince Gill on “Old Strings” and insisted on recording an obscure Sun Records track: Rita Remington’s “He Made a Woman Out of Me.” (Bobbie Gentry also once gave the song a shot.) Producer Jason Collum keeps the arrangements true to vintage country, with no sudden explosions of loud electric guitars but plenty of country guitars and pianos. Whether it’s the classic country “Arms of Jesus,” the gentle acoustic ballad “I’ll Close My Eyes,” or the surprisingly sassy and upbeat “When It’s Over,” Roberts is a South Carolina native remaining true to her country roots.
- Kellie Pickler
- Gretchen Wilson
- Brandy Clark