Hailed by The New York Times for music that’s “soulful enough to fill a revival tent,” DANIELIA COTTON has risen again into the light, fiercely and defiantly, with A Different War, her most politically charged album in a widely heralded career.
Set for release May 29 on all major digital platforms through Cottontown Music, the six-song opus finds the “fiery rock vocalist” (American Songwriter), whose voice gives her songs “stunning power” (No Depression), speaking to these extraordinary times by unloading her sin while the world around her is gripped in a turbulent spin. Cotton frames A Different War by confronting race, gender, and wealth − deeply personal and pervasive issues that have plagued folks like her for an eternity.
As the first single, “Forgive Me,” moves up the Triple A charts, the second single, “Cheap High,” is now active at radio. The music video will premiere next week. The “Live from Home” Streaming Concert will premiere Sunday (May 17) at 7:30 p.m. EST on Facebook Live.
Additionally praised by Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and USA Today, among others throughout her career, Cotton continues to inhabit a song, turning it inside and out to create transcendent music and lyrics, and carry us higher and higher with her in her musical flights.
A Different War finds the gutsy New Yorker swimming through the tumultuous social issues of racism and greed, and the tempestuous waters of love and relationships. These are songs deeply rooted in the protest anthems of yesterday but built for the current state of our world. A multi-racial, gospel-fueled, Jewish blues-rocker who believes in the power of womanhood, Cotton grew up in a predominantly white New Jersey community as one of just seven black kids in her high school. She has survived cancer and the tragic loss of twins at birth, only to bounce back and finally welcome a daughter in 2018. Cotton’s consistent ability to overcome pain and express it through music shines a light on the issues of the day and shows the world what it’s like to fight “A Different War.”
“This is the first album I’ve made that includes songs that are both social and personal,” says Cotton. “On several of these songs I tried to get out of my own head and talk about the world outside. I think about the experiences of my listeners. I like when the listener can jump into a song.”
The title track examines how the reality of people of color getting called into battle as a result of being marginalized informs their entire existence. Featuring a guest appearance by prominent Bronx hip-hop artist Mickey Factz, the song also urges us to press ahead because of the ongoing need for substantive change. “Cheap High” is a stomping rocker that finds Cotton probing our precarious economic situation, speaking to both a personal unhappiness arising from greed, and the dangers of a society mired in economic disparity and despair. The evocative and transporting music of “Forgive Me” mimics the lyrics, which Cotton wrote with her sister, Catherine Fulmer-Hogan, stressing the necessity of forgiveness in any relationship in order for its survival. The fierce feminist anthem “She Too” is a propulsive rocker that rides along a screaming lead solo. Cotton’s bluesy vocals on this track defiantly proclaim not only equality but righteous anger at anyone who wants to silence women for raising their voices in unity against abuse, ill and unequal treatment.
A Different War is a true collaboration with some of the most talented musicians and technicians in the business. From Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors, Joan Osborne, Edie Brickell) on drums, Ben Butler (Sting, George Michael, Chris Botti) on guitar, and Andy Hess (Gov’t Mule, Black Crowes) on bass, to young gun guitarist Emmanuel Rossillo working his first major studio project, the record resonates with innovation and flare. The finishing touches of the brilliant mix provided by Dave O’Donnell (James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer) and the mastering of Greg Calbi (numerous hits over the past 20 years) make this record a true meeting of the best of the best.
The evidence is clear on A Different War that DANIELIA COTTON continues to evolve and challenge herself as a musician. Fifteen years since her breakout as an Artist to Watch by influential Philadelphia public radio outlet WXPN, Cotton remains a true indie artist fighting for independence – the space to create her own sound and an audience that would journey with her.
Available May 29 at Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and where music is consumed on-line.
“A Different War” Track Listing
Forgive Me
A Different War
Cheap High
Better Off Without You
If You Don’t Want Me
She Too
