Armed with an uncanny ability to stun audiences into submission, this musical free spirit has consistently refused to be pinned down by a single style or genre, building an inspired body of work that draws strength from a bottomless wellspring of American jazz, pop, blues, folk and country.  The cinematic poetry of her songwriting is matched by the power of her voice, a rich, distinctly resonant instrument that’s capable of immense emotional depth. Kurtz’s iconoclastic approach is underlined by her decision to simultaneously release American Standard and Secret Canon, Vol. 1.  Individually, each disc offers ample evidence of Kurtz’s abundant talent.  Together, they make a deeply compelling case for her status as a deeply adventurous, one-of-a-kind artist.