One of the ongoing jokes I share with my life partner concerns our mutual affection for K.T. Oslin’s infuriatingly catchy 1989 hit “Hey Bobby”. Summoning one of the song’s several hooks is sure to lodge “Hey Bobby” in the other’s head for hours or even days. It’s a delightfully dirty trick.
I mourned Oslin’s death at There Stands the Glass last year. Even though Lauren Alaina failed to distinguish herself in the two live performances I’ve witnessed or with any of her initial hits, the contemporary country artist revives Oslin’s fiercely independent streak and wicked sense of humor on her surprisingly strong new album.
Rooted in age-old country themes, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World is a stylistic departure portraying Alaina as a new-school honky tonk hero. Yet because it’s hindered by a few obnoxiously overproduced tracks, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World is a far cry from a dusty Loretta Lynn album.
Alaina strikes a delicate balance between the vanilla blandishments demanded by country radio programmers and forlorn songs about drinking and despair. Some of the soccer moms who make up the core of her substantial fan base may conscientiously choose to shield their kids from the booze-laden project.
It’s possible a Sitting Pretty on Top of the World song- “Getting Over Him”, a duet with Jon Pardi, is a particularly promising candidate- will join “Hey Bobby” as one of my go-to personal relationship pranks rooted in a genuine appreciation of Alaina’s blend of slick pop-country and backwoods barroom anthems.