James Otto Classic kid

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

Country music artist James Otto, known for No. 1 hit “Just Got Started Lovin’ You,” admits he’s a lover of the classics.

During a recent phone call from a Nashville car wash, where his 2009 Corvette was getting a wash and wax, the Washington native said he’s a classic car fanatic much in the same way he’s fascinated with the sounds of yesteryear.

“Yeah man, I’m kind of obsessed with an era gone by,” said Otto, calling from Music City. “I’d say the late ‘60s and early ‘70s were probably the pinnacle for music.”

When pressed with whom he would have loved to tour back in the day, Otto gives an answer that accurately paints his current country music sound.

“It’s hard to say,” Otto said. “If I was playing country music I’d like to have been on one of Hank William Jr.’s early tours. And then if it was rock, I’d have to say Bob Seger and if I was doing soul music I’d like to be with Otis Redding or Sam & Dave.”

It should be noted that Otto is currently playing Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” and Sam & Dave’s “I Thank You.” The latter track was popularized by ZZ Top. Otto is also gearing up for the release of his third studio album, a self-titled affair due out in September. Using his aforementioned influences, as well as his new single “Groovy Little Summer Song” as examples, Otto is hoping to brand a new subgenre called country soul.

“It has to have a beat you can dance to and it’s a groove, it’s a feel,” Otto said. “It has a sultry sexiness to a lot of it. There are plenty of baby-making songs on this record. I had a couple of those things on my ‘Sunset Man’ album but this one I really wanted it to be a direct shot at that. It had to have a groove kind of feel and some soul to it for us to even consider doing that. So this album will have that for those folks who love ‘Just Got Started Lovin’ You.’”

For some artists, the notion of having a song like “Just Got Started Lovin’ You,” which was the most played single of 2008 at country radio and Billboard’s No. 1 Hot Country song of 2008, on the resume could be an albatross. That is, trying to repeat the lightning-in-a-bottle success. Apparently, Otto doesn’t view it that way.

“I’m not really worried about topping the song,” Otto said. “Those things are career highs that you don’t see again. It’s hard to repeat those kind of things, and even big artists don’t have multiple things like that happen in their career. I just want to keep doing what I do, doing what I love and do the best I can possibly do. So that’s where my head is at and I’m not thinking about I need to best my last thing.”

For now, Otto is excited to be pegged as opener for Toby Keith’s summer tour, which includes Trace Adkins and comes through Northeast Ohio on Sunday at Blossom Music Center.

“First off, I think it’ll be a great tour,” Otto said. “I’ve always admired Toby and Trace. It’s kind of like the big guys tour this time around. They’re calling it the ‘American Ride Tour,’ but I’m calling it the ‘Our Tour Can Kick Your Tour’s Ass Tour’ because everybody is 6’4” and up. You better believe it’ll be a rocking good time.”