K.T. Oslin
Coming the year after 80s Ladies, the powerful ode to middle-aged women that made Oslin a late arrival on the country music map at 45, this second album has to be considered a disappointment. There are a few exceptions to the overall frustration. One is the title tune, featuring a hauntingly urgent beat and K.T.'s tough, sexy vocals. Worthy too are the bluesy Didn't Expect It to Go Down This Way, about an unfortunate woman—"I'm overworked and I'm overweight/I can't remember when I last had a date"—and Truly Blue is a saucy, musical comedy-ish number. There are moments when Oslin's wail is a dead ringer for Janis Joplin's. But for emotional warmth, evocatively detailed lyrics and sheer staying power, the songs here don't even approach those on 80s Ladies. Some, like the maudlin Hold Me, are downright tedious. Oslin wrote or co-wrote all nine songs. Given the financial rewards that one imagines 80s Ladies has brought her, it's not surprising that two of the tracks are about very rich women, the sort who can afford to fly to Paris for lunch and eat caviar. Somehow Oslin sounded much more convincing and committed singing reflective songs about ordinary women. (RCA)
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