Julie Meyers

With a mash-up of rock, pop, blues and folk, the Sammie-nominated songstress Julie Meyers brings another welcome female voice to a still predominantly male local-music scene. And what a voice. Meyers’ girl-next-door appeal may not prepare you for her quick flips from soft and lovely to raw and forceful, but what’s most impressive is that she’s always in control. In “Sunday,” for example, with a simple drum-and-guitar rhythm for support, Meyers sings her way up to what the listener fears might be a breaking point—only then to pull back at the last second. Hearing her dodge a musical implosion is like watching a high diver pull off a skilled maneuver that might just as easily have been a belly flop. You root for her, and it’s all the more satisfying when she succeeds so beautifully.