Song Review: Roll On Mississippi by Danielia Cotton
Danielia Cotton has recently released a cover of the Charley Pride’s song “Roll On Mississippi,” which is climbing the top 100 of the Americana charts. The artist started the project back in 2022 and as a Black musician, Cotton finds the project incredibly exciting because her fellow Black artists are finally getting mainstream attention within the country and Americana genres.
The original cover of “Roll On Mississippi” is a classic by how Pride melodically sings out the lyrics while strumming his elegant guitar whereas Cotton’s version brings a soulful country vibe that consists of a beautiful and harmonic vocal performance. Cotton’s love for Pride’s music can be felt through her version of “Roll On Mississippi.”
Now, the time feels right for Cotton to release her versions of these classic songs that were made famous by Pride. More singles will be released in the coming months that will be featured in a tribute EP that will be released this summer. Cotton was inspired to record Pride’s songs by her grandfather, or her “Pop-pop” as she called him, explaining that he was a “closeted country music fan.”
In the 1940s, Pop-pop, a black man, chose to raise his family in a small white town in New Jersey. So, just like Pride, he resided in and navigated a community where he was always in the racial minority: “He was highly respected by all in that community until the day he died, Cotton notes, “Just as Charley Pride was within Country Music.”
Date of Review: 4/16/2024
Date of Publication: 4/17/2024
Feature Photo Credit: Jimmy Fontaine