Nice And Slow

Not to be confused with the jazz pianist of the same name, singer and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Green sang with Jamaican group the Pioneers and toured internationally as a drummer with Jimmy Cliff prior to scoring solo in 1976 with the international disco hit "Nice and Slow." Listeners won't be able to get a full feel for his musical background from the occasionally routine disco tracks found on this 1992 compilation by Unidisc. But of the two CDs to collect Green's '70s work (the other being Hot Productions' similarly titled Nice and Slow: The Best of Jesse Green), this one is the stronger. While Hot's compilation purports to be a "best-of," it is, in fact, comprised of little-known '90s recordings. On Unidisc's, however, all of the tracks are '70s originals — including Mel Cheren and Howard Metz's sought-after disco mix of "Nice and Slow." Despite the lackluster melodies of songs like "Do You Like It Like That" and "Don't Do It," the feel-good playing and arrangements of tunes such as "123 Let's Go" and "Disco Crazy" distinguish Green's material from other disco records. The influence of the islands is apparent in his spirited singing on "Flip" and "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered." For nostalgic '70s buffs who favor a bit of diverse cultural flair in their disco, Nice and Slow is a worthy investment. ~ Justin M. Kantor, Rovi