American Pancake

The jazz blues dance, speakeasy bloodletting of "Scorched Earth & the Flood" by New Orleans singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Daphne Parker Powell, and from her 7th upcoming album "The Death of Cool", sweeps you up in a masterful blend of cinematic musicality and Powell's smoky vocal countenance while stirring your drink too. The album drops May 22 (2026) and features some of NOLA's most stellar musicians including the iconic Squirrel Nut Zippers &Preservation Hall. I am loving the constructions here, as the stand up bass and drums / tambo / shake holds down a swanky constant dance, as other layers of instrumentation flutter in, hold center stage, ease back while never stepping on Powell's vocal toes. Loving the perfectly placed piano keys, the mournful alto sax / trombone / tenor sax swells and Caroline Brunious’ radiant clarinet gliding in and out of the spotlight. Kudos to all the musicians including Powell herself on acoustic guitar. The way the whole affair shifts effortlessly is just wondrous and no wonder as this track was produced by platinum-selling artist Jimbo Mathus and engineered/mixed by Grammy Award-winner Mike Napolitano.

Wonderfully produced with amazing musicians from top to bottom, the potent connective tissue holding it all together is Daphne Parker Powell's songwriting, open and vulnerable and bleeding. Her vocal character walks a tightrope between a full bodied confessional, a vibrato that within the context can feel like a painful tremble. Love the emotional divides here that centers the song making it feel like an artful look at a diary full of honest catharsis and beautiful doodles.