Danielia Cotton

Danielia Cotton does what she does because it is her calling in her life. Her voice is raw, her delivery impassioned. On her throat-searing catharsis on every track of her new CD, Small White Town, Danielia delivers on that calling. From the crunchy guitar-driven power of “Devil in Disguise,” to the desperate dreams of freedom that haunt “4 a Ride,” and the angst of Only Life, – every moment of Small White Town is impressive.

Danielia’s early love of raw rock n’ roll power crystallized as her musical muse the moment she wrapped her hands around her first Fender Tele, the electric guitar was a gift from her husband. The moment she held it, she could feel the power and righteousness of rock & roll within her grasp. “An electric guitar can sound painful,” she says. “It can sound bright. Playing it is like putting on makeup for the first time as a little girl: It started giving me even more ideas.”

In her early years as one of only seven black kids at Hopewell Valley High School in New Jersey, her exposure to R&B and hip-hop was nonexistent: “I liked AC/DC, Judas Priest, Todd Rundgren … older stuff than what kids my age were hearing,” she remembers.

So who is this extraordinary artist? She is the product of all kinds of musical influences: Raised on a tree-shaded street in New Jersey, on the outskirts of Hopewell, an actual “small white town,” she never knew her father but grew up close to her mother, a gifted jazz singer. Occasionally, though, Danielia would hear her mother and two aunts sing as a vocal trio at church services and fundraisers. And every now and then her Aunts, Carol and Jeannie would sing backup for such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, or Southside Johnny.

At home, Danielia felt the embrace of her family and developed her taste for pure, raw rock & roll. (She also inherited an appreciation for jazz; Phyllis Hyman’s rendition of “Here’s That Rainy Day” remains one of her cherished early musical memories.)

Feeling like an outsider in her town drove Danielia deeper into the arms of rock music, as a listener at first; though she was already writing songs and strumming folk tunes on an acoustic guitar, she spent most of her energy on acting as her early goals for her life. She was good too – good enough to pursue a theater major at Bennington College in Vermont which included a senior year at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

Yet even then she couldn’t leave music alone; in fact, she took voice lessons at Bennington with Bill Dixon, who helped her expand her imagination through studying John Coltrane and other horn players. By her senior year she had earned enough credits in music to merit her own graduate recital.

And then it was on to NYC to join the ranks of other young actors, auditioning and practicing her craft. She made her screen debut in Fresh, playing a crack dealer and spitting out lines so foul that it made her grandmother blush. Although met with good reviews and a bright future, Danielia couldn’t get rid of the music itch. She kept returning to songwriting and hanging out in clubs and singing.

“She sings with raw
intensity, ranging from
beautifully tender to
howling, not even
caring if her powerful
voice cracks…
this Jersey girl who
names Led Zeppelin
and Tina Turner as
influences confirms
that rock is
Black Music too.”

~ Essence Magazine

As music took hold of her, the acting bug was brushed aside. She established herself as a regular at the Bitter End. Making her debut with some musicians that she gathered up in NYC, word spread quickly. More gigs filled her calendar: Arlene’s Grocery, the Cutting Room, the Sidewalk Café, CB’s Gallery...

Inevitably the time came to capture her music on disc. Kevin Salem, an outstanding writer and performer in his own right, agreed to come on board as her producer; impressed by his work with Chocolate Genius, Danielia sensed that he was her perfect studio partner. “His production has a depth and a sense and a feel that I knew was the same as mine. I knew he would get me. It was destiny that we would work together.”

WXPN in Philadelphia tagged her as an “artist to watch” and slotted the song “It’s Only Life” into frequent rotation. Press accolades popped up online, lauding that bluesy voice, her soulful guitar work, and her cover girl face, tagging her as “the next big thing,” and concluding that “once in a while … talent outstrips the hype, as in the case of Danielia Cotton.”

With the arrival of Small White Town, reviewers will fish for comparisons to iconic artists such as Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Tina Turner. Those comparisons are a heavy load to carry for an artist that may share similarities but is already unique, fully equipped in her own way to boot rock & roll back to where it belongs: on the street, among those who will give the music its due.

“Small White Town is a reflection of me,” she declares. And for those who believe in the magic of rock & roll, Small White Town offers everything to discover.

For Further Information, Interviews or CDs, Contact:
Vermillion Media • www.vermillionmediagroup.com
Official Website • www.danielia.com