Song BIZ Songwriter Profile

On his 20-song CD Human Heart, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Carey Ott reveals a portfolio of musical touchstones: modern rock, Americana and world grooves. What is consistent are the reflective details of the lyrics, the conversational ease of Ott’s vocal performances and the enchanting melodic possibilities. As should be obvious by the prodigious volume of his output, Carey Ott is industrious. “I work from anywhere––wherever the song is taking me,” he says. “But there are a lot of days no one hears about. On the best days, the song tells me exactly where it wants to go, and I get there in 40 minutes.” While the majority of the songs on his latest CD are penned solo, living in Nashville affords Ott a wealth of Music City collaborators and a community of artists to cover his songs. “The Best Things In Life,” recorded by the Silver Seas, was co-written with band members Daniel Tashian and Jason Lehning, while “Faded” for the Greencards, featured on their CD Brick, was created with the band’s Kym Warner. “When I moved to Nashville I never co-wrote,” Ott remembers. “The last three to four years have been crazy, but now I’m more selective. Co-writing is a different beast––writing with one other person is one thing; two people can be completely different. The Nashville way is that sometimes you chip in a lot, sometime you don’t. Everything is pretty loose.” Ott’s songs have been matched to scenes in television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, The Gates and Make It or Break it. A recent signing with placement experts pigFACTORY should up this exposure. “I love how picture and music can become greater than the sum of their parts,” notes Ott, who confesses a preference for renting “weird French and Italian movies. I think of music like painting with melodies. The other analogy is cooking, how a little bit of seasoning can change the entire dimension of a song.” “Getting Thru,” a standout track from Human Heart, is seasoned with the sweetness of a moment shared with a lover in warmth and sunlight. “Save My Life” is a tougher snare-driven plea. “Je Suis Borderline” traverses cobblestone Parisian streets guided by an accordion. World grooves inspired by Toronto’s Kensington Market, the neighborhood where Ott recorded the song, propel “bigredbutton.”

Originally from Chicago, IL, Ott was signed to a deal with Dualtone Records and relocated to Nashville. Lucid Dream, produced by multiple Grammy-winning producer Ray Kennedy, was his debut for that label. “I made Lucid Dream in a completely opposite way,” says Ott. “The label even chose the title.” Human Heart was released by DiscoverRock. “Human Heart was my baby. I took my time, did pre-production stuff in the house that ended up on the record. It was the  ‘kid in the sandbox’ approach, playing with friends around.” Now a resident of East Nashville where he and his girlfriend recently pur- chased a house, Ott might return to a more organic vibe on his next project. “Four guys in a room. And maybe do a five or six song EP.” For his live shows in Nashville, his backing band is a group of stellar musicians that usually tours with country star Rodney Atkins. “They love to play my kind of music,” enthuses Ott. He performs in town gigs at listening venues like the Bluebird, and has recently played at wineries in Virginia, where his songs captivate fans of singer-songwriters and Syrah alike.  Unlike artists who maintain a mystique, Carey Ott is open about his choice to work part-time in a bank. “A lot of artists wall themselves off from real people. When you’re an artist, people blow smoke at you and tell you that you’re great. Pretty soon all you do is play shows and write music. I think that’s insulating and boring. I like my situation, that I talk to average people and hear their stories. Hopefully, this works its way into the songs and makes them real. Hollywood is cool for what it is, but at the end of the day, it’s entertainment. I think music is deep, spiritual, holy and sacred. That’s how I approach it.”

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