Review: Jeff Ott

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Jeff Ott
“Will Work for Diapers”
(Sub City)

I met the love of my life last night (sorry Nina, I love you too; just haven’t technically met you is all).  She left this morning at 5:00 to catch a plane out of Santa Barbara headed to Nebraska, where she goes to school.  I never really thought much of Nebraska before, but now I really hate it.  Jeff Ott (of Fifteen fame) sounds like he should be from Nebraska with his honky-tonk ballads and neo-country attitude.

“Will Work for Diapers” is a two-disc collection from a man who seemingly needs no band, as Mr. Ott opts for the solo treatment on the majority of the tracks, going without so much as a drum most of the time.  What Mr. Ott does do is play his gee-tar and sing songs about people who kill themselves, paying too much rent, and lots of political messages.  That’s right, Mr. Ott isn’t some redneck country bumpkin with a gun rack on the back of his Dodge Ram.  Nope, Mr. Ott likes to sing about how the USA used to give money to Osama Bin Laden, Manuel Noreaga, and Saddam Hussein.

He also likes to sing about slavery, the war in Iraq, pedophilia (he’s decidedly against it) and a bunch of other pro-social messages, all set to the adequate gee-tar and slightly-less-than-adequate voice.  It’s a little bit country.  It’s a little bit punk ‘n roll.  I miss Shelly.  Damn Nebraska.