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Danielia Cotton
Rare Child
(Adrenaline/Cottontown)
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2008, Volume 15, #5
Written by John Metzger
Mon May 19, 2008, 04:00 PM CDT
It is a tremendously frustrating experience to listen to Rare Child,
the latest outing from up-and-coming rock ’n‘ soul star Danielia Cotton. A
gospel-soul singer with a penchant for gritty, southern rock and biting,
British-bred blues, Cotton undeniably has a powerful presence. In fact, there
isn’t a single moment on Rare Child when it isn’t immediately apparent
that she possesses all of the raw talent and charisma that she needs to succeed
in the music business. Too often, however, she heads straight for the middle of
the road. Consequently, instead of sounding like she singlehandedly has
revitalized Tina Turner’s legacy by washing away several decades’ worth of
overly polished, pop-oriented distractions, Cotton’s work frequently exudes the
air of Sheryl Crow’s watered-down brand of classic rock.
Over the past three years, since releasing her sophomore set Small White
Town, Cotton has been racking up accolades for her work. Nevertheless,
almost all of the praise that she has received has revolved around her stage
persona. Rare Child undeniably is an attempt not only to capitalize on
this, but also to propel her into the mainstream market. This, however, is
precisely what’s wrong with the album. Over the course of Rare Child,
Cotton spends too much time chasing expectations rather than creating them. As a
result, her potential is put on display, but it never is fully realized.
In particular, the arrangements that frame Cotton’s songs throughout Rare
Child typically sound as if they have been designed to play well within the
confines of the oversized, outdoor sheds that serve as music venues. The guitars
stomp, chug, and howl beneath Cotton’s commanding vocals, but there’s a cold
sterility to the music that diminishes the overall atmosphere of the collection.
As Make U Move, the album’s funky opening cut, progresses, its initial
earthy, percussive drive becomes clouded by its hard rock charge, which settles
somewhere between AC/DC and Lenny Kravitz. Elsewhere, subtle nods to Led
Zeppelin are tucked into Testify, while the introduction to Running
adopts the country-soul twang of the Rolling Stones.
Of course, none of these are bad reference points either to have or to use,
but like Kravitz, Cotton has a tendency to become lost within the process of
trying to create something that sounds big. Instead of emphasizing her
distinctive talent, she, along with producers Brad Jones and Joe Blaney, hid it
behind a wall of generalizations. Such a strategy might sell a lot of albums,
but it makes it exceedingly difficult to see Cotton as the bold, new voice she
wants to be.  ½
Of Further Interest...
Leroy - Leroy / self-titled
Josh Rouse - Nashville
Eric Sardinas - Black Pearls
Rare Child is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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