Up-and-coming vocal virtuoso Danielle Ponder appears to have something of a sleeper hit on her hands in “Roll The Credits.” It wasn’t terribly long ago that Ponder, a former public defender turned singer-songwriter, released her 2022 debut album Some of Us are Brave to considerable acclaim. “Roll The Credits” made its debut in 2023 on that album’s deluxe edition re-release, and since then has taken on a kind of life of its own. The track has cropped up again and again in various contexts ranging from advertising campaigns to soundtrack features, and most recently served in that latter role as the closing number for Bioware’s much-anticipated RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard. While its fortuitous title all but invites such collaborations, it’s the irresistible swagger of “Roll The Credits” itself that snares a new wave of rapt adherents to Ponder’s artistry on each of its various recursions.
“Roll The Credits” makes an absolute monster of a groove out of what, upon closer inspection, turns out to be relatively few elements. It starts small – just a quietly menacing bass riff and some accompanying synth flares. Ponder’s smoky intonations join in shortly thereafter alongside a massive, trip hop-style beat. Apart from the eventual inclusion of some snarling, bluesy guitar licks and the occasional overdub, this core set of sounds pretty much round out the aural palette of “Roll The Credits” in its entirety. That said, the sum of these parts is positively colossal, bounding forward with an unimpeachably soulful stride. The prime exponent of this is, of course, Ponder’s larger-than-life voice, at times wistful and at times exultant, but never anything short of stunning.
With a luscious sonic smolder and magnetic groove, held aloft by Ponder’s rapturous vocals, its small wonder that “Roll The Credits” continues to simmer in popular consciousness, with its every reappearance fanning the flame. While it may titularly present itself as an ending, the ear-catching vitality and timeless aura of “Roll The Credits” suggest that, at least for Danielle Ponder, things are just heating up.