Shake What God Gave Ya

Shake What God Gave Ya
Studio album by James Otto
Released September 14, 2010
Genre Country
Length 45:43
Label Warner Bros. Nashville
Producer James Otto
Paul Worley
James Otto chronology

Sunset Man
(2008)		 Shake What God Gave Ya
(2010)
Singles from Shake What God Gave Ya
  1. "Groovy Little Summer Song"
    Released: March 8, 2010
  2. "Soldiers & Jesus"
    Released: September 7, 2010

Shake What God Gave Ya is the third studio album from American country artist James Otto. It was released in the United States on September 14, 2010 through Warner Bros. Nashville.

Background

In an interview with The Boot, Otto described his new record saying, "This is a declaration of who I am, this country-soul sound is where we're going, and if you like it, this is for you."[1] In an interview with Music Row, Otto called the content on the album "sexy, sultry, and soulful", and went on to say that "Musically I’d say I’m the love child between Ronnie Milsap and Barry White.”[2]

Reception

Critical

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [3]
Country Weekly [4]
Parcbench [5]
Roughstock [6]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "a fully formed, seductive country-soul record" and said it "rolls smooth and easy, locking into a cool relaxed groove early on and never leaving it."[3] Jessica Phillips with Country Weekly rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying Otto's "raw, impassioned style" brought out many soul-influenced songs, and that the album "focuses on lighthearted or romantic fare."[4]

Greg Victor with Parcbench called it "the best country-meets-soul-meets-rock-meets-blues album to hit the scene since the early days of Lyle Lovett’s Large Band, and said the album put "Otto in a class all by himself."[5] Allen Jacobs with Roughstock called the tracks on the album "smart, soulful and sexy country songs" and said the album was "nowhere near a traditional country record [but] is nonetheless a strong third album."[6]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Are Ya With Me"  Marv Green, James Otto, Chris Wallin 3:21
2. "Groovy Little Summer Song"  Al Anderson, Carson Chamberlain, Otto 3:40
3. "Lover Man"  Anderson, Jim Femino, Otto 2:43
4. "Soldiers & Jesus"  Otto, Wallin 4:45
5. "Love Don't Cost a Thing"  John Eddie, Otto 4:10
6. "Sun Comes 'Round Again"  Brice Long, Chris Stapleton 4:22
7. "Shake What God Gave Ya"  Otto, Monty Powell 3:24
8. "It's a Good Time (For a Good Time)"  Patrick Jason Matthews, Otto 3:49
9. "Just Like Sunshine"  Otto, Wallin 3:33
10. "Let's Just Let Go"  Femino, Carl Marsh, Otto, Arlos Smith 3:43
11. "She Comes To Me"  Marsh, Terry McBride, Stapleton 3:58
12. "Good Thing's Gone Bad" (featuring Ronnie Milsap)James LeBlanc, Gary Nichols, Jon Nicholson, Otto 4:19

Chart performance

Album

Chart (2010) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 10
U.S. Billboard 200 63

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country
2010 "Groovy Little Summer Song" 26
"Soldiers & Jesus" 34

References

  1. ↑ Dunham, Nancy (2010-07-28). "James Otto Wants You to 'Shake What God Gave Ya' - The Boot". theboot.com. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  2. ↑ Skates, Sarah (2010-07-27). "Jamey Johnson Reveals 'Guitar Song' Details". musicrow.com. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "allmusic ((( Shake What God Gave Ya > Overview )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Phillips, Jessica (2010-09-03). "Shake What God Gave Ya : James Otto - Reviews - Country Weekly Magazine". Country Weekly. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Victor, Greg (2010-09-16). "James Otto – "Shake What God Gave Ya" (Music Review)". parcbench.com. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jacobs, Allen (2010-09-13). "James Otto - Shake What God Gave Ya". roughstock.com. Retrieved 2010-09-21.