Julie Ann Baenziger’s previous albums showcased a singer with a warm, engaging voice and a strong handle on crafting emotional tunes of both the shy and muscular varieties.
Build A Boat to the Sun consolidates her appeal, the Sacramento singer and multi-instrumentalist throwing a range of rock, pop, folk and country-ish shapes to suggest her confidence as a performer allows her to go across the spectrum.
The songs are full-bodied and immense, each one rattling along with considerable purpose. The mood is lighter and cheerier than before, with Test Yourself and Dad full of robust, gleeful, almost sunny clatters and swings.
There's still a tender, vulnerable tone to her voice, but it's clear she has learned how to deploy this delicate instrument, as seen on the lovely Don't Follow Me.
