Sometimes a voice just hits you from the first note. A bit of gravel in the back of the throat. Worn by the place where rubber meets the road. Late night drives, over capacity motel room stays and early morning black coffee before getting after it again. Carey Ott encompasses that voice and he and his band The Hard Ways are today’s Singled Out feature with a song sharing that name.

Who: Carey Ott & The Hard Ways

From: Ottawa, IL

Song: ‘The Hard Way’

Latest Record: The new EP “Scratcher” is out now!

What about it: “I like a song that works on the surface, but also runs deep. This is the human experience. Nothing worthwhile seems to come easy. The lotus flower grows from the mud. But it’s all worthwhile. “The Hard Way” is a song for the outlaw. When you follow your heart you can’t follow the rules. It’s defiant. Two chords and the truth.

I hope people feel what it’s about. Same thing life is about. Pain, loss, heartache, redemption, transcendence.”

Favorite Lyric:

“I wanted to surrender when my eyes went blind/ a thunderbolt split the sky. I noticed I was headed down the same dirt road Robert Johnson sang about.”