''Simply'' is the sixth and final studio album by American

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singer–songwriter

K. T. Oslin Kay Toinette Oslin (May 15, 1942 – December 21, 2020) was an American country music singer-songwriter. She had several years of major commercial success in the late 1980s after signing a record deal at age 45. Oslin had four number one hits and ...

. It was released on June 2, 2015 via Red River Entertainment and contained nine tracks. The project was co-produced by Oslin herself and Jimmy Nichols. ''Simply'' was Oslin's first studio release in 14 years and included a mix of re-recordings and new material. The album would also be the final release of new music in her career.

Background and content

Prior to the release of ''Simply,'' K. T. Oslin had been away from the public eye for over a decade. In 2014, she returned to performing with a live

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-themed show. The program included newer versions of her former hits and some new material. The success of the show led to the album's creation. ''Simply'' was recorded in sessions held at three studios: Bone-Us-Trax, Studio White House and White Rock Studios. It also recorded in the basement of her band's

bass player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low bra ...

. The sessions were co-produced by Oslin, as well as Jimmy Nichols. The project was completed in a time span of three days. The album contained one new song ("Do You Think About Me") and eight new versions of Oslin's previously-recorded material. This included remakes of some of her biggest hits, such as " Hold Me" and " 80's Ladies." In a 2015 interview, Oslin explained that she felt differently about her former hits and chose to simplify their production for these reasons. The album also included re-recordings of songs that may be lesser-known to fans, such as "Younger Men" and "New Way Home."

Critical reception

''Simply'' received positive reviews from critics and writers following its release. Markos Papadatos of ''Digital Journal'' gave the project a 4.5 star rating in his review. He called the album's material "nostalgic" in the way that the re-recordings evoked memories of Oslin's early years. He also used words like "strong" and "crystalline" to describe her voice. Papadatos concluded by saying, "Overall, K.T. Oslin delivers on her latest comeback album Simply. Her vocals are all spot-on and remarkable. The arrangements are different, yet neat." In addition, Ben Foster of ''Country Universe'' gave ''Simply'' a four-star rating. "While “Do You Think About Me” is our only taste of new Oslin songwriting for now, Simply is nonetheless a worthwhile acquisition for its success in making the old feel new again," he concluded. Matt Bjorke of ''Roughstock'' also gave the release a positive response. He praised Oslin's vocal performance, commenting that she was in "fine voice" despite being 74 years old. Bjorke also praised the production of Oslin's co-producer (Jimmy Nichols) for helping create simple arrangements for the project.

Release

''Simply'' was released on June 2, 2015 via Red River Entertainment. It was Oslin's sixth studio release in her career. It was also her first studio release on an independent record label. The album was made available as a

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and as a digital download. The project did not chart on any ''

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'' music surveys, including the

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chart, where all of her previous studio albums charted. According to Oslin, the album was simply meant to be sold along with her live show. No additional promotion was given to the record. "We’re not trying to get back on a label or make a big splash with this. We just wanted to make a record for fans to buy at shows," she commented. ''Simply'' would mark Oslin's final album release in her career. After being diagnosed with

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, she would die in 2020.

Track listing

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the

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of ''Simply'' and

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Musical personnel * Mike Durham –

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* Dennis Holt – background vocals,

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Jimmy Nichols – background vocals,

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* K. T. Oslin – lead vocals * David Santos – background vocals, bass,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Technical personnel * Jeff Balding – mixing * John Gertin – assistant * Tonya Ginnetti – production assistant * Andrew Mendelson – mastering * Jimmy Nichols – engineer, producer * K. T. Oslin – producer

Release history

References

{{K. T. Oslin 2015 albums Albums produced by K. T. Oslin K. T. Oslin albums