Brandon's Buzz

Julie Roberts — “Break Down Here” (from Julie Roberts) —

Was I the only one devastated this past Monday night when not one of the four judges on NBC’s thrilling singing competion The Voice — not even fellow country artist Blake Shelton, who has made her acquaintance in the past and who was clearly heartbroken when he realized whose fine vocal stylings he had failed to recognize — turned his or her chair around for the magnificent Roberts, who was so desperately resolute in her determination to steal a second shot in the spotlight after a series of personal setbacks wiped out her once-promising career? Granted, her wobbly take on Shelton’s smash “God Gave Me You” was perhaps not the finest showcase for Roberts’ still-potent pipes, but I was rooting hard for her nonetheless, if only because I still clearly remember the blinding brilliance of her profoundly powerful 2004 debut album, as fine a collection of torch songs and burning ballads as Nashville has produced in the last two decades. That record, for reasons that still remain unclear to me, failed to make a serious dent in the country charts that year: “Here,” the stunning lead single, barely clawed its way into the top 20 at country radio, and its two follow-up tracks (including “Wake Up Older,” a gorgeously harrowing chronicle of an unfulfilling one night stand) hardly made it above number 50. A poorly-promoted sophomore effort stiffed a couple of years later, marking the end of the line for Roberts’ first stab at fame. Seeing her on national television the other night (for the first time in years!) served as a strong reminder that although said fame can be fickle and fleeting, talent always finds a way to re-emerge.