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 A great songwriter once opined, "In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." Carey Ott's love for pop music runneth over on the kaleidoscopic "Lucid Dreams." Ott, late of Chicago alternative rockers Torben Floor, has waxed an engaging debut disc akin to the way artists used to make records in an era before marketing research executives overtook A & R (think back to classic Lennon/McCartney, Matthew Sweet, Ray Davies, Elvis Costello, Big Star). Ott assumes a varied persona in just about every track yet he still manages to forge a cohesive statement that indeed lives up to the album title. "Am I Just The One," which you may recognize from two episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" represents Ott at his most romantic as his crackling falsetto nimbly navigates through doo-wop back-up harmonies and slide licks worthy of George and Eric in their respective heyday (ditto the slide passages on "You Got Love"). The mid-tempo rocker "Shelf Life" emerges as a sterling example of Ott's tendency for ornate arrangements that are deceptively simple in execution, employing unadorned pedal tone bass lines, an occasional car-radio effect on the voice, cheap keyboard pads, and a scattering of syrupy Beach Boys references that are far more reverential than retro. The dramatic breaks and m7 chords which punctuate the dirge "Virginia" display the artist's penchant for the blues and classic soul (aspiring songwriters should take note, this effective modus operandi worked wonders for Mick & Keith, Elton & Bernie, and Steely Dan, among others). Ott handles most of the guitar chores, expertly affording rhythmic and harmonic counterpoint to his catchy melodies. With the tracks clocking in at no longer than four minutes, "Lucid Dreams" is devoid of filler or noodling. Ott lays down fine finger-picking in "Kickingstones" and the in the title track while taking liberty with the tempo, which is another rarity in the Pro-Tools world we live in. It's no surprise that the early, digital release of this collection entered in the top five downloads along with The Raconteurs, Sufjan Stevens, Dashboard Confessional, and Johnny Cash. You can judge the worth of an artist by the company he keeps!
© Tom Semioli
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 'Lucid Dream' tells of love experiences that won't put you to sleep
CAREY OTT - Lucid Dream - Dualtone - HHH ½ stars
What'll they say, years from now, about the rock music of the mid-'00s?
Were we in the middle of a glam renaissance, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy jolting eyeliner and skinny jeans back into prominence? Or were we in the era of the song's resurgence, regular-dude acts like The Fray and Daniel Powter parlaying big, meaty chorus hooks into big hits, despite their cubicle-farmer-chic fashion sense?
Either seems likely enough. But if Nashville guy Carey Ott's new release, Lucid Dream, earns as broad an audience as its wide-net pop hooks seem to call to, regular-guy rock might get a pretty significant edge.
What Ott doesn't have is a shtick — he's not reinventing styles on Lucid Dream or doing anything overtly marketable, nor is he working the kind of haircut that earns lots of magazine features. (He's a good-looking, regular bald dude, bearing something akin to Powter's cute-carpenter pout.)
What he does have, however, is songs.
Lucid Dream is built on classic pop song forms, with bits of Beatles influence interwoven with folky arrangement simplicity, and the depth and tenderness (if not quite the drama) of Burt Bacharach or Rufus Wainwright's cabaret-pop. The songs are spit-shined bright, like The Fray's hits or Powter's, and they're instantly hummable, like those folks' hits too.
Ott sees fit to lyrically lean on the universal experiences of love lost and gained and cultivated. And, well, it's hard to wonder whether people are any more tired of silly love songs today than when Paul and Linda McCartney pondered the idea in the '70s, Ott crooning about love in such an un-silly way.
He coos "I want to tell you in my sleep that you inspire me" to open "Am I Just One," slow-steps through "Virginia" and calls, "You make me think/ You make me weak." It's a familiar kind of tenderness, and it's rendered in a familiar way, but it's also rendered in an elegant way.
The most astounding thing about Ott's Lucid Dream seems silly, in that it used to be the expected rule and is now the unexpected exception: There isn't a clunker of a song in the lot. Each verse is melodically compelling, each chorus soaring and evocative.
That glossy hummability doesn't do it for everybody, and the guy's heart-on-sleeve simplicity smells ripe for skewering, if eyeliner and skinny jeans are more your thing. But Lucid Dream certainly has enough irregularly compelling pop songs to nudge Ott into that new wave of hit-herding regular guys.
— NICOLE KEIPER, STAFF WRITER
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Carey Ott’s ample skills as a singer/songwriter elevate him to a higher echelon. An intuitive talent, he crafts infectious melodies that shun overly ambitious arrangements and cluttered instrumentation. Ott’s influences reflect an obvious infatuation with Paul McCartney, Paul Simon and Ray Davies, with songs like “Am I Just One,” “Kickingstones” and “Mother Madam” gliding along with a buoyant, bucolic lilt and a wistful nod that takes on a bemused perspective. Credit should also be accorded producer Ray Kennedy, half of Steve Earle’s renowned Twangtrust, who imbues the material with a steady strum that’s ebullient and effusive. This seemingly effortless approach provides instant appeal, whether basking in the mellow vibe of “Sunbathing” and “Virginia” or turning up the energy with the persistent resolve of “Shelf Life” and “You Got Love.” In short, Lucid Dream is an unexpectedly impressive debut from a gifted artist whose career path clearly bears watching.