I'm a fan of pleasant surprises. I preview dozens of new albums pretty much every day. A week or so ago, I came across The Death of Cool — the new release by Daphne Parker Powell, an artist I had never heard of.
The promotional sticker on the front suggested this is for fans of Neko Case, Tori Amos, and Natalie Merchant — my curiosity peaked. It goes on to mention it was produced by Jimbo Mathus and includes members of his band, Squirrel Nut Zippers. Adding to the intrigue, they were joined by members of the storied New Orleans ensemble, Preservation Hall Jazz Band. I was already interested before I started listening. But, like listening to any new artist, the music needed to draw me in quickly. It did.
The lead track, one of my favorites so far, Perpetual Light of the Void, begins as a ballad. Powell's voice on this one has an operatic feel that makes the Tori Amos comparison legit. The song builds to a great jazz-rock jam resolving with a return to the slow-burn vibe from the beginning.
Powell talked about the album title - The Death of Cool - in a recent interview. The idea, she says is that when we're younger, we want to be cool and fit in. As when we get older, we tend to look for relationships with deeper meaning. It turns out she had life experience that helped her come to this conclusion. This album was created as she was fighting breast cancer, which she discovered in an unusual way. She was feeling fine and in good health. A close friend suffered kidney failure after a bout with COVID. Powell was a match for donating a kidney. During the screenings ahead of her donation, it was discovered that she had several tumors. After a double mastectomy, she had further complications.
Powell's emotional state, combined with a line-up of great musicians under the watch of Jimbo Mathus, gives The Death of Cool a lot to unpack. It's the kind of album you can play often and find something new each time.
Join us as we explore The Death of Cool on Open Air — weekdays 9am-3pm on JPR's Rhythm and News Service.
