Nice 'N' Naasty

by Donald A. Guarisco

On their second album, the Salsoul Orchestra enhance the appeal of their string-heavy soul sound by marrying it to a series of tight, hook-laden tunes. The overall feeling of Nice 'N' Naasty is very ?up' and the album prominently features a number of high-energy tracks tailored for the dance floor. In fact, the album contains of two of the Salsoul Orchestra's best-ever uptempo tracks: &It Don't Have To Be Funky& moves forward at a double-time speed thanks to a combination of frenetic drumming and an infectious rhythm guitar riff while &Don't Beat Around The Bush& layers the rhythmic, sexy chant of the title over a huge-sounding, thickly-layered drum beat that sounds like it was lifted from a glam rock record. Another uptempo highlight is &Salsoul 3001,& a dance floor stormer that brings &Thus Sprach Zarathustra& into the disco age by marrying its dramatic melody to a frenetic groove anchored by some furious conga drumming. Nice 'N' Naasty also improves on the group's debut album by downplaying the easy listening excesses that marred that album: even on soft tracks like &Nightcrawler,& the musicians add a rhythmic touch that keeps the album's overall groove moving forward. In fact, the only time Nice 'N' Naasty slides toward easy listening is during the &We've Only Just Begun/Feelings& medley, but even that is saved by a clever arrangement that highlights some some lovely vibes work by

Vincent Montana

. Overall, Nice 'N' Naasty's combination of solid tunes and tight performance make it the Salsoul Orchestra's most consistently entertaining album and a good choice for disco fanatics.