Fly Me Back

Brenda Weiler finally hit her full potential on this, her third release. With a move from Fargo to Minneapolis and from Fargo's Barking Dog Records label to her own independent release, Fly Me Back is Weiler coming into her own. Much of the credit must go to producer John Hermanson who fleshes out and gives added life to Weiler's songwriting. Her first two releases, while still being good listens, sound like simple demos when compared to the full sound of Fly Me Back. Weiler has often been compared to Ani Difranco. If that comparison is accurate then Weiler is now in her latter Difranco period, experimenting with genres and production styles. The sample-like beat of "Sunray," along with the 12-string guitar, strings, and mellotron touches, give this album the sound that was meant to accompany Weiler's voice. She is superb as a solo performer, but she comes to life most when she has a big set of drums backing her up, and this album gives listeners more of that than any of her previous work. Fly Me Back is a three-dimensional sound for a three-dimensional songwriter.