Daniella Cotton’s The Real Book Released August 19th

Bruno Mars, Zombies and Eurythmics on “soulful, rocking… irresistible” (LA Times) Danielia Cotton’s ‘The Real Book,’ 8.19

When selecting the track list for her first album of covers, singer Danielia Cotton chose songs that spoke to her in the midst of a dark time. “My life was in a state of turmoil,” she explains, “so I gravitated towards songs that I knew would help me cope with the challenges that I was experiencing.”

For Cotton, these hurdles refer to a period of upheaval and unexpected change.  Instead of letting the circumstances overwhelm her, Cotton coped in the best way she knew how – through music.  She channeled her strength, heartache, and “charged powerhouse [voice] that calls to mind both Janis Joplin and Etta James” (Chicago Sun-Times) into a 12 track album featuring performances of material by Bruno Mars, The Rolling Stones, The Zombies and Eurythmics.  The result is a raw and true display of emotions fittingly titled ‘The Real Book,’ out August 19th via Cottontown.

Cotton delivers her signature “blaring, guitar-charged, Southern-rooted rock” (New York Times) on Bruno Mars’ “Gorilla,” rousing soul on Stevie Wonder’s “They Won’t Go When I Go” and The Staple Singers’ “Respect Yourself,” and atmospheric alt rock on Radiohead’s “Daily Mail” (full track list below).  The album’s emotional climax is Cotton’s nine-person-choir backed rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” a song that Cotton says is about, “recognizing who you’re real friends are after going through a difficult time.”

Special guests Amy Helm, Tracy Bonham, and Rachel Yamagata join Cotton on several tracks.  Produced by Kevin Salem (Mercury Rev, Bad Brains, Lenka, Lisa Loeb), the album also features drummer John Clancy, keyboardist Rob Clores, bassist Winston Roye, and guitarists Jack Petruzelli and Matt Beck.

The daughter of a jazz singer, Cotton learned how to sing and harmonize as part of her mother and aunts’ group, Brooks Ensemble Plus.  Her mother’s influence helped her gain an appreciation for soul and gospel music, especially Mavis Staples, Etta James, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.   It was Cotton’s friends and brother that exposed her to her other major influence — the rock music of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.  Shortly after entering junior high school, Cotton received her first guitar from her mother and began writing songs locked away in her room for hours at a time, an experience that she says “saved” her.