Filed under: Exclusive, Interviews
James Otto debuted on the country scene as one of the godfathers of the MuzikMafia alongside Big and Rich. The singer/songwriter quickly proved he had a booming, soulful voice and big heart to match. After a brief stint on Mercury Records, he released his Warner Bros. debut, 'Sunset Man,' in 2008, produced by John Rich and Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus (James' brother-in-law). The album contained the smoldering hit, 'Just Got Started Lovin' You,' which became Billboard's No. 1 country single of 2008. That year was a major one for the artist, as he also co-penned the Grammy-nominated Jamey Johnson smash, 'In Color,' with Jamey and Lee Thomas Miller, taking home ACM and CMA statues for Song of the Year for the tune.
James returned to the studio this year with producer Paul Worley to record his second Warner Bros. effort, 'Shake What God Gave Ya,' which has already proven a big success at radio with the infectious hit, 'Groovy Little Summer Song,' and touching ballad, 'Soldiers and Jesus.' 'The last few months have been eventful for the gentle giant, with preparations for the new album, the birth of a new baby, and an illness that sidelined him -- but not for long. The Boot caught up with James to chat, as he eagerly weighed in on everything from his new single to the battle of Chihuahua vs. baby in the Otto household!
Your latest single, 'Soldiers and Jesus,' addresses the sacrifice military men and women make. Why was it important to you to write a patriotic tune for this new project?
I thought it was something poignant for our time. Anything we can do to shine a light on those guys is a good thing. Even the press, they report on it every day but the sacrifice becomes minimized and it becomes a generalized idea of war vs. a personal thing. This family over here is suffering, and that is the more important story ... the sacrifice people make. We're doing it for a purpose, but those guys didn't go there on their own volition, they're doing a job they need to do. I don't know if people understand the sacrifice they make. But we all know people who have been affected by what's going on around the world, whether it's a friend or a family member. I think people in the country genre understand it; they're the ardent supporters of the military, and they're usually the ones being called up to go. They make up a lot of our men and women in the service. This song is one of those things meant to highlight that, and if they don't understand, maybe this song will help.
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