CD Reviews- James Otto- Shake What God Gave Ya

The Background:
James Otto may be 100 percent country, but he’s also got a heart of soul. On his third album, Shake What God Gave Ya, Nashville’s breakout star puts his God-given lung power to work on a set of songs that make even more determined use of the old-school R&B grit in his powerhouse voice. “I look at my sound as somewhere between Nashville and Memphis,” says Otto, setting the new record’s compass point firmly on the map.

“With ‘Just Got Started Loving You,’ the beat and groove of that song could easily have been ‘I got sunshine on a cloudy day…’—that kind of thing,” he says. “And the fact that that went over at radio was an eye-opener for me, because it really opened the door for me to be able to do a lot more of that on this album. I never would have expected that it would have gone over the way it did. But I’m really thankful that it did. And hopefully the same people that loved that song will get a lot out of this record.”

The Review:
It’s probably symbolic that on the press release for James Otto’s third album, he’s quoted as saying he’s the he’s the “love child of Ronnie Milsap and Barry White.” It was Barry White’s deep soulful baritone that became synonymous with groovy love-making songs in R&B. And if there was ever an album that tried hard to be the backdrop soundtrack to getting your groove on with the love of your life, this is it.

That’s not to say that this country soul sound is entirely new. Artists such as Conway Twitty, the before-mentioned Ronnie Milsap and Delbert McClinton, all have pioneered that crossover sound and made very successful careers out of it.

Otto enlists his hero Milsap on the 70’s flashback in sound in groove on a great little track on “Good Things Gone Bad.” And Otto effectively uses his groovy love mojo which gets a great workout on tracks like “Sun Comes Round Again” and “Let’s Just Let Go.”

The album comes on the heels of one of Otto’s peers, Randy Houser's They Call Me Cadillac. While Houser utilizes a similar country soulful sound, he does so while telling his own autobiography in song. Otto takes a different and lighter tact throughout this album, concentrating on more universal topics of love and ladies.

The one big exception to this theme is the strong pro-military ballad, “Soldiers and Jesus.” Otto utilizes both personal heroes in thanks that “To me, they're both heroes for the path that they chose, ‘cause one fights for my life, one fights for my soul.” It’s a touching tribute to those who have laid down their lives to make ours better.

Otto’s whispery and gravel-laden voice is one of the strengths of the album and sells the sexy theme of the album well. And if you add this one to your collection, just be sure to pick up some candles, bubble bath and roses to go along with it.

Sounds Like:
Randy Houser Lite

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):
Groovy Little Summer Song
Soldiers and Jesus
Good Thing’s Gone Bad (With Ronnie Milsap)
Sun Comes Round Again
Let’s Just Let Go

The Verdict:
Three & A Half Stars Out Of Five