Nice 'n' Easy (Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke album)

Nice 'n' Easy is a duet studio album by American country music artists Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke. It was released in October 1980 via Columbia Records and featured ten tracks. Five of these tracks were previously released and only credited to Duncan. Five of the remaining tracks were new recordings. It was the first and only collaborative album the pair would record together. It included one single, which was a cover of the pop recording "She's Out of My Life".

Nice 'n' Easy
Studio album by Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke
Released	October 1980 (1980-10)
Recorded	1975 – 1980
Studio	Columbia Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country^[1]
Label	Columbia
Producer	Larry Gatlin Billy Sherrill
Johnny Duncan chronology
In My Dreams (1980) Nice 'n' Easy (1980) You're on My Mind (1980)
Janie Fricke chronology
From the Heart (1979) Nice 'n' Easy (1980) I'll Need Someone to Hold Me When I Cry (1980)
Singles from Nice 'n' Easy
"He's Out of My Life" Released: August 1980

Background and content

Both Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke were signed to Columbia Records in the 1970s.^[2][3] Duncan found his biggest commercial success on the Columbia label with the help of producer Billy Sherrill who helped him craft a sound that produced the top ten songs "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous" and "It Couldn't Have Been Any Better".^[2] Fricke had been a background singer who was heard (uncredited) in the background of several Johnny Duncan songs. She received enough attention from these appearances that she signed her own Columbia contract in 1977.^[3]

Through their own recordings together, Duncan and Fricke would come to record their only studio album as a duo called Nice 'n' Easy. The album was recorded in sessions held at the Columbia Studio (located in Nashville, Tennessee) between 1975 and 1980. A total of ten tracks comprised Nice 'n' Easy. Five of the songs had been recorded and released previously: "Come a Little Bit Closer", "Stranger", "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous", "It Couldn't Have Been Any Better" and "Atlanta Georgia Stray". Originally these songs (some issued as singles) were credited to Duncan only. For Nice 'n' Easy, both artists received credit. These tracks were co-produced by Larry Gatlin and Billy Sherrill. The five remaining tracks were new recordings, produced solely by Sherrill. The lead track was a cover of Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life", which was retitled to "He's Out of My Life".^[4]

Release, reception and singles

Nice 'n' Easy was released in October 1980 on the Columbia label. It was originally offered as a vinyl LP and a cassette. Both formats featured five selections on either side of the discs.^[4][5] The album received a positive response from Billboard magazine, who named it among its "Recommended LP's" in November 1980: "The mood throughout is sweet and undynamic: lots of light-hearted orchestrations honeyed up by strings and background harmonies."^[6] The album included the duo's single "He's Out of My Life". The song was issued on Columbia in August 1980.^[7] The single spent 14 weeks on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 17 in September 1980.^[8] The track also reached Canada's RPM Country Songs chart where it also reached the top 20, peaking at number 20 in 1980.^[9]

Track listing

Side one (LP and cassette versions)^[4][5]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"He's Out of My Life"	Tom Bahler	3:14
2.	"Nice 'n' Easy"		3:07
3.	"(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love"	Paul Anka	2:54
4.	"Baby (You've Got What It Takes)"	Clyde Otis, Mark Stein	2:57
5.	"Loving Arms"	Tom Jans	3:03

Side two (LP and cassette versions)^[4][5]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Come a Little Bit Closer"	Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Wes Farrell	3:12
2.	"It Couldn't Have Been Any Better"	Ray Griff	3:00
3.	"Atlanta Georgia Stray"	Chris Gantry	2:32
4.	"Thinkin' of a Rendezvous"	Bobby Braddock, Sonny Throckmorton	3:22
5.	"Stranger"	Kris Kristofferson	3:11

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Nice 'n' Easy.^[4]

Technical personnel

• Lou Bradley – engineer
• Larry Gatlin – producer
• Ron Reynolds – producer
• Norman Seeff – photography
• Billy Sherrill – producer
• Virginia Team – art direction

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
North America	October 1980	Vinyl	Columbia Records	^[4]
		Cassette		^[5]
United Kingdom		Vinyl	CBS Records International	^[10]

References

1. "Nice 'n' Easy: Johnny Duncan". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
2. Huey, Steve. "Johnny Duncan: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
3. Deming, Mark. "Janie Fricke: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
4. Duncan, Johnny; Fricke, Janie (October 1980). "Nice 'n' Easy (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Columbia Records. JC-36780.
5. Duncan, Johnny; Fricke, Janie (October 1980). "Nice 'n' Easy (Cassette Liner Notes and Album Information)". Columbia Records. PCT-36780.
6. "Billboard's Recommended LP's: Country". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 44. November 1, 1980. p. 89-91. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
7. Duncan, Johnny; Fricke, Janie (August 1980). ""He's Out of My Life"/"Loving Arms" (7" vinyl single sleeve insert)". Columbia Records. 1-11312.
8. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 112.
9. "Search results for "Janie Fricke" under Country Singles". RPM. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
10. Duncan, Johnny; Fricke, Janie (October 1980). "Nice 'n' Easy (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". CBS Records International. S-CBS-85111.