Outside the Beltway

[Danielle Ponder - Some of Us are Brave]

An Album For Friday

Start your weekend with some soul!

Matt Bernius
12

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[Danielle Ponder - Some of Us are Brave Album Cover]

Today is a day where all of Rochester NY is listening to the same album… and so should you! Danielle Ponder‘s first Label album, Some of Us are Brave just dropped. If you are a fan of soul or R&B… or just good music… this is a must-listen.

Those of us living in Rochester have been lucky enough to see Ponder develop as an artist (and an activist) over the last few years and we’ve been waiting for this for a while. For more on her unique and long journey to this moment, see this NPR Tiny Desk article on her (and her other career as a public defender) from two years ago.

PS. For the Radiohead fans out there, her interpretation of Creep is also very on point.

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12 responses to “An Album For Friday”

  1. DK Avatar
    DK

    Nice! Thank you. Wfh today, this will be on Sonos via Spotify.

    1
  2. Matt Bernius Avatar
    Matt Bernius

    @DK:
    Awesome! And if you like it, please spread the word. Danielle has been grinding on this for years and it’s time for her to get her due.

    2
  3. motopilot Avatar
    motopilot

    Thanks for posting this. I enjoy learning of good (although that is somewhat subjective) new music/musicians. This is the first time I’ve heard (of) Danielle Ponder. Great rendition of Creep, by the way.

    1
  4. de stijl Avatar
    de stijl

    I am on a The Replacements / Paul Westerberg jaunt today. But thanks for the tip!

    I am interested in an intriguing new cover of Creep. One of my all-time faves.

    I really need to listen to Song #2 by Blur. Or an interesting cover of it. Both. I have a vaguely interesting anecdote about it.

    One of the best things I have ever figured out was the YouTube search bar. Type in Guided By Voices Motor Away. Add “reaction” or “cover” at the end. You get super interesting and intriguing results.

    Yeah, some suck hard, but the journey and the poking around is awesome. I have no destination, just journey.

  5. JohnSF Avatar
    JohnSF

    Thanks Matt; that’s interesting stuff.

    Incidentally, if you can access it, people might like to check out a Prom concert from this season based on the music of Aretha Franklin.

    There’s usually stuff worth checking out in any Proms Season.
    One of the best things about the BBC, imho (along with Gardeners World 🙂 )

    2
  6. JohnSF Avatar
    JohnSF

    @de stijl:

    …an intriguing new cover of Creep…

    Ah, but you should have heard mine and Sean’s version:
    I’m a crepe
    I’m a pancake
    What the hell is my topping here?
    Is it sweet or sav’ry?
    🙂

    2
  7. wr Avatar
    wr

    Good recommendation. And based on this, you should definitely check out Michael Kiwanuka, if you don’t know him already. Give his song “Cold Little Heart” a listen…

    1
  8. BugManDan Avatar
    BugManDan

    Man, the title track really has some Nina Simone vibes, both in style and voice. Really nice.

    1
  9. motopilot Avatar
    motopilot

    @de stijl: If you are interested in different covers of “Creep”, you might enjoy this one.

  10. de stijl Avatar
    de stijl

    @motopilot:

    I’d already seen it, but it was nice to revisit.

    Thanks for looking out for me. I appreciate it!

  11. Matt Bernius Avatar
    Matt Bernius

    @JohnSF:

    Incidentally, if you can access it, people might like to check out a Prom concert from this season based on the music of Aretha Franklin.

    Sadly it region blocked, but I did find some of it on YouTube. I always enjoy what I have seen of Prom concernts!

    @wr:

    And based on this, you should definitely check out Michael Kiwanuka, if you don’t know him already. Give his song “Cold Little Heart” a listen

    I don’t! Thank you for the recommendation. I’m going to be doing a lot of writing and revising this weekend and I was looking for more tunes.

    Other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

  12. Matt Bernius Avatar
    Matt Bernius

    @BugManDan:

    Man, the title track really has some Nina Simone vibes, both in style and voice. Really nice.

    Totally.

    What’s interesting about the album is a little more subdued and intimate than her live shows. For example, the final track “Darker than Blue” in concert is an “on your feet, crowd sing-along, protest song” experience. She’s much “bigger” when she sings it.

    It’s a mark of her ability as a singer-songwriter to see how she makes the same song work in different ways in different contexts.

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