“MIKKI DANIEL is performing at my AMERICAN WESTFEST this year. I’ve watched this talented cowgirl grow up from a cute kid in pig-tails to a classy young lady who is a great entertainer, as well as fine songwriter and vocalist. She’s become one the best female vocalists ever- and she chooses Western music ! She’s won multiple awards- Academy of Western Artists Best Female Vocalist 2016-2017, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Wrangler Award Best New Artist, and many more. Mikki loves to jam with all of us Western Swing Buffs, always a savvy musician. But what really makes her great is her sense of humor and fun presence on stage- which she carefully mixes with sensitive, serious moments. She also writes Western novels- her first at age 17! I’m so happy to present her at AMERICAN WESTFEST this year! You’ll love her!”
— Michael Martin Murphey
To see Murph's post on his own Facebook,
The Country Music News International Magazine's Record Review writer Bob Everheart reviewed Mikki's new album, 'Cowgirl Swing', in the December issue of their 2014 magazine. See below for review:
"I'm one lucky guy to get a CD like this to review. This magnificent work explains why the huge mega-corporate major companies, (who own labels, who own most of the radio stations and publishing houses, and just about everything else in the music business) are so scared of wonderful artists like miss Mikki Daniel. Mikki has that special 'gift' I like to refer to in music, as that something inside of a person, a performer, a writer, a recording artist, a vocalist. That's what Mikki Daniel is.
She more than accurately refers to her music as 'cowgirl swing.' I am so, so, so glad she doesn't call her music 'country.' Why? Because it is far far, far better than what we hear as 'country' today, but it still retains the spirit, originality, and what I like to refer to as the 'soul' of what country music once was. Mikki has that same 'soul' that Bob Wills had. Same 'soul' as Spade Cooley. Same 'soul' as Michael Nesmith. Same 'soul' as Circe Link. Same 'soul' as Willie, and Johnny, and Waylon, and so many more of the really, really great recording artists. No wonder she scares the big boys. Put all that together, and add one very beautiful young woman, and you have what a deserving young artist has already attained. I really like her 'go-back' to Streets of Laredo on "Leave the Cards Alone." The musical backing is superb all the way through, with some stunning guitar tracks provided by Tommy Nash, Chuck Pangburn, Dale Morris Jr., and Mikki herself. Great fiddlers, Brook Wallace and Haily Sandoz. Couple of the songs even have the banjo of Scott Whitfield, and two drummers make the songs distinctly different in the rhythm part, (Patrick Bubert and Josh Rodgers.) The interesting players are Dave Alexander on trumpet, and clarinet & saxophone by Jon Stutler. Mark Gheen plays piano, and Nathan Phelps on bass makes it all gel together nicely. With nine originals included in the 14 songs on this CD, some a little jazzy at times, Mikki doesn't hesitate to git right back to cowgirl, and does it so smoothly and so elegantly, it's a great CD to hear over and over. I'll be passing this one along to the Rural Roots Music Commission who select CD of the Year awards at the annual convention in LeMars, Iowa. Since I sit on that board, I would recommend to Mikki that her CD is already on the table for "Western Swing" of the year, we'll see. This one is five stars, plus a little. Congratulations Mikki on a job well done. I'm a fan of Circe Link, I hope you are too."
-Bob Everheart, 2014 CMNIM Review