DANIELLE PONDER MESMERIZES IN PHILADELPHIA

This will not be the last time you hear of Danielle Ponder. It was only thirteen months ago that she quit her job as a public defender in her hometown of Rochester New York to follow her dreams of being a full time musician. Her performance at Newport Jazz Festival – widely seen as one of the best of the festival – set her on the path to becoming a household name and served as the catalyst for a whirlwind 2022. Appearances on late night talk shows, touring with the likes of Marcus Mumford, Amos Lee, and Leon Bridges, and now selling out her own headlining shows.

The Lounge at World Cafe Live in Philly was buzzing nearly an hour before her show on Saturday. The people who didn’t get there two and a half hours early to get a table and dinner, gathered around the bar bragging about how long ago they bought these tickets. One-upping each other with how far they drove to see the show and how they first heard of Danielle Ponder.

The opener, Suzanne Sheer, stood next to the bar with her group of friends, as the rest of the crowd nervously inched towards the stage. Seemingly not wanting to be the first person to stake a claim. Eventually, as 8:30 neared, the space in front of the stage filled up and Sheer took the stage.

A Philly local, Sheer sat behind her red Nord Piano 4, starting the set off with a soft piano ballad that grew in intensity and demonstrated her emotional, warm voice. Most of the other songs were backed with twitchy, trap-like beats from her producer 3xpo. Ponder was clearly impressed, saying in the middle of her own set, “We need to hear more voices like Suzanne, and less of some of these other people. I’m not gonna say any names though.”

The break between Sheer’s set and Ponder’s was short. Just long enough for me to grab a beer and be offered mushrooms from a girl named Ellen. This was my second time seeing Danielle in two weeks and the second time I was offered mushrooms.

The answer to your question is yes.

Strolling to center stage in flowing pink pants, a purple long-sleeved shirt and a tie-dyed T-shirt, Ponder flashed her million dollar smile and went right into Some Of Us Are Brave. The title track from her debut album drips with vocals reminiscent of classic soul singers like Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and Dusty Springfield. Ponder possesses the unique quality of layering vintage sounding vocals of a fresh and current sonic composition.

Throughout the night, looks of disbelief were flashed between friends and strangers alike. Ponder had the audience mesmerized as she effortlessly floated between her voice aching to the point of almost breaking, and soaring full-voice moments that simply blew them away. Two songs that demonstrated this the best were Poor Man’s Pain and her version of Radiohead’s Creep.

Seeing Danielle Ponder in such an intimate setting felt like an honor. There is no way this rising star will be playing venues like this much longer. My guess is after she performs at Bonnaroo this year she’ll be headlining much larger shows.

You can see the rest of her tour here.