James Otto - Sunset Man

Of all the Big & Rich protégés -- and as of 2008 there are too many to count, with only a capo or consigliere of the MuzikMafia being able to keep track -- James Otto initially seems the closest to Kenny and John, as his second album, Sunset Man, kicks off with "Ain't Gonna Stop," the kind of party-pumping anthem that B&r have managed to turn from refreshing raunch to boring BS in just under five years. Otto gamely spits out Big Kenny's mock-macho lyrics -- including the de rigueur referencing to rocking out at an "Ott-to show" -- seemingly happy to be given another shot at the big leagues after having his 2004 debut, Days Of Our Lives, sink without a trace, but fortunately for him and the rest of us Sunset Man doesn't dip all that often into MuzikMafia burlesque (toward the end of the album there's "Drink & Dial," a far better and funnier attempt at this blustering boogie). Read More