Releasing two stylistically different albums at once—American Standard and Secret Canon Vol. 1—Dayna Kurtz announces that independent artists are still alive and kicking in 2012. These fan-financed jewels represent the great scope of Kurtz's talents. American Standard, funnily enough, is the album consisting mostly of original songs, while Canon features obscure jazz and R&B ballads popularized by The King Cole Trio, Floyd Dixon, and others. Kurtz began recording Standard in New Jersey before heading down Memphis' Ardent Studios to work with rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess and his band, The Legendary Pacers, and then on to New Orleans, where "Election Day" was cut with the local brass band The Nightcrawlers. This lets Kurtz deeply immerse herself in the roots of her blues-based approach. "Good in '82" is pure juke-joint ecstasy; "Billboards for Jesus" turns up the dark ambience. "Are You Dancing with Her Tonight?" brings the out best of her smoky nightclub voice. She turns The Replacements' "Here Comes a Regular" into a horrifying, brooding piece of isolation. The '50s rockabilly classic "Lou Lou Knows" is pure catharsis.