CLEVELAND — Singer/songwriter “Mississippi” Mason Honnoll recently signed a recording contract with Delta-based indie record label, Cotton Row Record Company, in preparation for the upcoming May release of his full-length studio album Just The Way I Am.
The Columbus-area native graduated from New Hope High School in 2018 and earned an associate’s degree from East Mississippi Community College in 2020. Honnoll attends Delta State University, where he expects to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in entertainment industry studies from the Delta Music Institute.
“I’m so excited to finally be able to release my debut album. It took me around a year to build up funding for the project,” Honnoll said. “So many folks helped make that possible by buying my Unplugged EP, and those sales made it possible to get this studio album made. Just The Way I Am is a collection of songs that tell different stories of simple folk in rural America. I’m really proud of it.”
Honnoll enlisted the assistance of GRAMMY® award winning singer/songwriter and DMI Director Emerita Tricia Walker and her company, Big Front Porch Productions, to serve as producer for his album.
“It has been such a pleasure to work with Mason over the past several months, from reviewing his songs to studio prep to overseeing the actual recording and mixing of the album itself,” Walker said. “He’s put together a really good sounding record, and I’m excited for what’s ahead for Mason and this project partnering with Cotton Row Records.”
The album, Just The Way I Am, which also doubles as a required senior project for Honnoll, contains eight original songs and two cover songs and was recorded in Studio B at the DMI recording studios at Delta State. The first digital single from the album, “Don’t Take Me Back,” was released to major online platforms March 25.
Erin Moorman, owner of Cotton Row Record Company, remarked, “I am beyond excited to be bringing Mississippi Mason on as the inaugural artist at Cotton Row Record Company and am looking forward to helping him use his music to honor the tradition of Mississippi music.”
In addition to releasing audio recordings, Cotton Row Record Company serves to educate, inspire, and empower other artists to pursue their music through consulting services that offer various resources for independent musicians in all areas of their career.
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