Danielle Ponder's 'Everything Has Changed' Reviewed — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Danielle Ponder releases her second full-length album 'Everything Has Changed,' mixing analog R&B with electronic backing, blues, pop ('SKN'), and a '70s-style closing track ('Laurel Canyon')
- Ponder grew up performing in her family's band in Rochester, pursued criminal justice reform law, and only fully embraced music in her late 30s
- Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory label, where Ponder signed after her 2022 debut 'Some of Us Are Brave,' has since merged into Dead Oceans
- Bartees Strange, Grammy winner Mike Elizondo, and Avis Reese lead the production credits on the album
- Reviewer compares Ponder's sound to Gnarls Barkley, Dijon, and Brent Faiyaz, while crediting her powerhouse voice and 'unique vision' for placing her in a category of one
- Ponder shifts abruptly between a church-reared belt, a mid-range alto, and a vulnerable soprano across the record
Why it matters: Ponder's signing to Saddest Factory and its subsequent merger into Dead Oceans pairs a genre-defying R&B vocalist with a label better known for indie acts, yet the review argues her voice and vision transcend the catalog mismatch — the album's cross-genre range and late-bloomer backstory make it a potential breakthrough for an artist previously working in criminal justice reform.
Ask SkimNews
