ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Country rhythm and blues sole soul man James Otto will, “Shake What God Gave Ya,” which is also the title of his third album, as the opening act this Saturday at the Wharf Amphitheatre.

Fans waiting for the accomplished singer songwriter best known for his huge 2008 grammy nominated hit “Just Got Started Loving You” to again stir their emotions and rock their souls can count on Otto. He skillfully weaves notes and lyrics that get folks up, out of their seats, and embracing life.

To some it may seem Otto disappeared after his “Sunset Man” album, but his tunes play daily all over the country. He co-wrote grammy nominated “In Color” performed by friend Jamey Johnson and Zach Brown Band scores in the top fifteen hits currently with Otto’s song “No Hurry.”

Having written at least a thousand songs, Otto has no problem sharing his works with other performers.

“Writing songs is a high priority,” for James but he, “can’t sing them all” as sometimes he is in between albums. “It’s great to be part of the success of artists I admire,” he said.

His latest album explores his country soul creativity. In “Sun Comes Out Again,” he takes “Just Got Started Loving You,” to the next level of intimacy. The album serves up another patriotic anthem in “Soldiers and Jesus.”

With a grandfather who served in Korea, a father who was a drill sergeant in a long military career and a two-year navy veteran himself, James feels a very personal but not necessarily political connection with his lyrics.

“There’s a left side, a right side, and then there’s the truth,” he said.

A good deal of the music on this recording has already passed the fan test during live performances, with “Shake What God Gave Ya,” doing what it says. Otto saved the best track for last in a duet with his hero Ronnie Milsap, whose influence resonates throughout the album.

When asked about his inspiration for music, Otto looks to personal experiences. He was a co-founder of the early 2000’s Musik Mafia, an eclectic group of performers like Gretchen Wilson and Big and Rich, with one common purpose of music “without prejudice.”

Most of those performers went on to some degree of success. “Good Old Days,” was written with Shannon Lawson during those Musik Mafia days.

“We were just sitting on the porch, looking out and realizing these are ‘the good old days, just living in the moment,’” He said.

And living in that moment whether it be writing or performing or just enjoying married life and 19-month-old daughter, Ava feels just right to Otto. A recent interview was conducted between cleaning out his garage and heading inside to help care for his girl.

His goal for his music is just as simple, “to keep writing songs people connect with” and “keep playing” his guitar.