There have been plenty of innovative R&B albums over the past decade, but few have combined futurism and tradition the way Danielle Ponder does on her second full-length album, “Everything Has Changed.” She has a glass-shattering, church-raised soul-shouting voice, but she uses her power sparingly, shifting between a mid-range alto and a sincere, vulnerable soprano – sometimes suddenly shifting from that to a throat-shredding belt that’s the opposite of vulnerability.
The songs on the album are equally diverse; mixes analog and digital sounds, switching between organic sounding R&B and electronic background; There’s even a light pop song (“SKN”), a blues number (“God of You”), and an unexpectedly early-’70s closing track, “Laurel Canyon,” which combines a tinkling electric piano with acoustic guitars.
Ponder’s story is as captivating as his voice. Born in Rochester, New York but now living in Atlanta, he grew up performing in his family’s band but focused primarily on a legal career centered around criminal justice reform. It wasn’t until her late 30s that she fully embraced a music career, and after a strong debut in 2022, she signed “Some of Us Are Brave” to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory label and has since been reunited with Dead Oceans (which is probably for the best in Ponder’s case, because her voice almost couldn’t be further from Bridgers’).
The album transitions between styles surprisingly seamlessly and with remarkable aplomb; Numerous collaborators contribute production (chiefly Bartees Strange, Grammy winner Mike Elizondo, and Avis Reese), but there’s no doubt as to who’s in charge. The album has flashes of Gnarls Barkley and is sonically consistent with the forward-thinking R&B of Dijon and Brent Faiyaz, but Ponder’s powerful voice and unique vision place it in a world of its own – making “Everything Has Changed” one of the most remarkable albums of 2026.