K. T. Oslin (1942-2020) had a string of big hits in the late 1980s and early '90s, which was kind of surprising for someone who had spent the decade before hanging out with indie-twang artists like Texas tunesmith Guy Clark. Born in Arkansas and raised in Houston, Oslin played a lot of roles as a musician -- folkie, commercial singer, songwriter, and finally, a Top Forty star. Oslin's records were pretty poppy and high tech, although she did have a rugged, bluesy streak that came through as well. Here's a quick look at her work...
K. T. Oslin " '80s Ladies" (RCA, 1987)
(Produced by Jim Cotton, Joe Scaife & Harold Shedd)
K. T. Oslin "This Woman" (RCA, 1988)
(Produced by K. T. Oslin, Jim Cotton & Joe Scaife)
K. T. Oslin "Love In A Small Town" (RCA, 1990)
(Produced by K. T. Oslin, Barry Beckett, Jim Cotton, Larry Lee, Josh Leo & Joe Scaife)
A synth-laden leftover from '80s-era country production, and an eminently skippable album. Oslin fancies herself a torchy, sexy chanteuse, but the listless rhythm tracks bog these songs down, and the lyrics are pretty belabored and cumbersome. (The songs are mostly written by Oslin herself, although with a couple of odd covers, including a mysteriously listless version of Sylvia & Mickey's "Love Is Strange," a song which originally only existed to be perky and coy.) I'm sure there are Oslin fans out there who dig her stuff... More power to 'em; I just ain't one of them.
K. T. Oslin "My Roots Are Showing" (BNA Records, 1996)
(Produced by K. T. Oslin & Rick Will)
K. T. Oslin "Live Close, Visit Often" (BNA Records, 2001)
(Produced by Raul Malo)
K. T. Oslin "Simply" (Red River Entertainment, 2015)
K. T. Oslin "Songs From An Aging Sex Bomb: Greatest Hits" (Sony-BMG, 1993)
K. T. Oslin "Super Hits" (RCA, 1997)
K. T. Oslin "RCA Country Legends" (RCA, 2001)
