The chorus on opening track “Leave It Alone” is so breathtaking that it has to be heard to be believed. Otten does a fabulous job in blending traditional guitar pop-rock with a tinge of ambient-inflected electronica. Bad Parade is simply great pop music that transcends any genre you may care to mention. After all, songs like “Boo and Shane,” “Everything Burns Out” and “Drown Me” are so good that nothing else needs be said. Save maybe to say that Todd Rundgren fans will find Bad Parade an indispensable album.
Paul Otten: Press
"One of the top 20 independent CDs we found anywhere in the world in
the past year."--IntelligentPop.com
The following is such a cool, accurate description of Paul that we just had to share it with you! "Cincinnati singer-songwriter's debut is infectious, melody-drenched Piano-Pop and Acoustic-Guitar-Rock, with shades of Electronica, Bluegrass and Funk, that sounds like Sting singing with Steely Dan playing Coldplay, Ben Folds and Keane songs on a Squeeze tribute album to The Beatles!" Believe it! Brilliantly produced by Brian Lovely, this is one helluva debut that, in fact, eerily calls to mind Mr. Lovely's awesome discs - and that's a very, very good thing! The singing and songwriting is top-notch! Paul's got plenty of "intelligent pop sensibility chops" going for him! Welcome to the wonderful world of "Cincinnati Pop" my friends! GREAT!!!!
"Produced by Not Lame fave Brian Lovely, Otten blends his piano-based pop in the classic sounds of Squeeze, Spymob(a lot!), Guster, Ben Folds and dashes of Steely Dan. The charms are many, the melodies for real and the songcraft something special to behold."
The heart of Paul Otten's new album, "Bad Parade," pulses with pure pop; tinges of electronica, bluegrass and funk make the record as engagingly unpredictable as it is catchy.
...Warm, lush...Otten is a clever writer, often couching some biting lyrics in his breezy pop melodies...friendly, pleading vocals and catchy piano work are well captured on this 11-cut release.
Rick Bird - Cincinnati Post
Paul Otten's latest release, "Bad Parade," is a refreshing blend of classic harmonies and catchy melodies that are the foundation of a good pop album. Artfully produced with layers of instrumentation that range in style from funk to bluegrass to pop rock to electronica, Otten is clearly not your average head-banger who picked up a guitar and decided he wanted to be a rock star. Not fitting nicely into either of the two main camps of independent music (organic rock or alternative), this eclectic cornucopia of sounds will appeal to the musically adventurous and open-minded. It would be astonishing if Brian Wilson's masterpiece album "Pet Sounds" (The Beach Boys) isn't listed as one of Otten's greatest influences.
Somehow, Mr. Otten manages to sidestep the landmines of creative destruction that often plague artists who try to use a plethora of sounds. Even though he borrows from many styles and eras of music, a sound unique to Paul Otten is pervasive in his music and makes "Bad Parade" a welcome surprise. The question begs to be asked, "What could he do with a full orchestra and an unlimited budget?"
...Mature, accomplished Pop/Rock that occasionally sounds like Steely Dan covering Squeeze.