On Thursday, Brooklyn singer/songwriter Danielia Cotton celebrates the release of The Real Book, featuring 12 cover songs ranging from Simon & Garfunkel to Radiohead. One of the new album’s tracks, a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” features musician Amy Helm, daughter of the late Levon Helm. Tracy Bonham and Rachel Yamagata also have cameos on the record.
As the daughter of a jazz singer, Danielia Cotton grew up with a range of musical influences. She was motivated to create this album to reinterpret classic songs with a story: “I just wanted to tell the story [of these songs] from a real place,” she says.
We caught up with Cotton at Brooklyn Bowl for a live take of “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics. Her release party is November 6 at Carroll Place (the new incarnation of Kenny’s Castaways on Bleecker Street).