Roberta Flack
Reviewed on this page:
First Take - Chapter
Two - Quiet Fire - Roberta
Flack & Donny Hathaway - Killing Me
Softly - Feel Like Makin' Love - Blue Lights In The Basement - Roberta Flack - Featuring
Donny Hathaway - Live & More - I'm The One - Born To Love - Oasis - Set The Night To Music
Roberta Flack covered a fair amount of ground in her ten years of
commercial success: starting as a jazz-fusion stylist, she moved on
to intricately-produced pop and even disco. You could argue that the gentle
soul sound espoused by Flack, Donny Hathaway and others was R&B's answer
to soft rock; you could also argue it just developed from the more
contemplative work of Aretha Franklin and
Otis Redding. In any case, her crystal-clear
voice and classy arrangements sold a pile of records and spawned a
whole school of imitators. Since the late 70s she's struggled
commercially, though she was briefly pushed back into the spotlight by a
smash cover version of her signature song, "Killing Me Softly With His
Song," by the Fugees.
 First Take (1969)
A shock if you're expecting one of Flack's immaculate 70s productions -
this was recorded with a small jazz combo including Ron Carter on bass, though some
strings and horns are overdubbed. The material
ranges from traditional gospel ("I Told Jesus") to the extended, somber
"Angelitos Negros" (yes, sung en español) to a bouncy Leonard Cohen cover ("Hey, That's No
Way To Say Goodbye"), and everything is related discursively. The
closest thing to Flack's
later work is the hit single "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,"
where her unpretentious singing is a perfect match for the uncluttered
melody and arrangement. Many of the tunes were written by Eugene
McDaniels or Donny Hathaway, both of whom would continue to work
with her, and many of them are socially conscious, predating What's Going On by two years:
"Tryin' Times" and "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men" are particularly
effective. This didn't do much on original release, but in 1972 it
climbed onto the charts and ended up spending five weeks at #1. Produced
by Joel Dorn. I don't usually note sound quality, but the CD I have is
extraordinarily hissy, though it claims to be "digitally remastered from
the original master tapes." (DBW)
 Chapter Two (1970)
Right from the spoken word intro to the opening "Reverend Lee," this
is Afrocentric (okay, African-American-centric) music that manages to be
completely folk and completely pop at the same time, blending churchy
piano with full-blooded choruses, intricate bass runs and from-the-heart
singing. Not to mention swooping strings from disco pioneer Eumir
Deodato, which are occasionally jarring but not unfitting. The jazz
elements that dominated the previous record are missing here, but it's
no sellout, just a shift to the uncomplicated, folk side of things.
Flack delivers the best tunes, including "Gone Away" by Donny Hathaway,
Curtis Mayfield and Leroy Hutson, and
the anti-war "Business Goes On As Usual," in a manner so straightforward
it's disarming. However, some of the tunes she chose to reinterpret are
so hackneyed - "Let It Be Me," "The Impossible Dream" - nothing could
make them sound sincere, and her take on Dylan's "Just Like A Woman" is surprisingly
bland. Flack plays piano on many of the tracks; Hathaway takes over on
two more. Other well known musicians include Eric Gale (guitar), Chuck
Rainey (bass), Hubert Laws (flute), Gene Orloff (violin). Produced by
Joel Dorn and sax legend King Curtis, who didn't play a note though he
did sing some backing vocals. Without a hit single, this still managed
to go gold like nearly all her early albums. (DBW)
Quiet Fire (1971)
In the same mold as the previous disc: calm yet stirring takes on pop
songs of the day (the Bee Gees' "To Love
Somebody," Van McCoy's "Sweet Bitter
Love" - one of the best Flack vocals I've ever heard - Jimmy Webb's "See You Then"). Once
again, a couple of the covers don't break new ground or
offer mesmerizing interpretations: "Bridge
Over Troubled Water," "Will You Still
Love Me Tomorrow." The opening "Go Up Moses" is a loping funky
groove with a terrific spoken exhortation by Flack, who co-wrote with
Joel Dorn and Jesse Jackson; Eugene McDaniels'
"Sunday And Sister Jones" is a pleasant tune, though the lyrics are a
bit more obscure. Most of the same musicians reappear, though Flack
plays all the piano, Ron Carter drops by, and Arif Mardin contributes some string
arrangements. A more solid seller than its
predecessor, paving the way for First Take's second wind.
(DBW)
 Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972)
A big hit, heading all the way to #3, but it's a step down from the
first three discs: this time the covers are rote ("I (Who Have
Nothing)," "You've Got A Friend" - her
first Top 40 hit), and the originals ("When Love Has Grown") aren't. The
best of the covers is "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," superslow with
a raga-sounding riff and tremulous strings; the worst is "Baby I Love You," which completely
loses the swaying, testifying quality of Aretha Franklin's version. The
pensive single "Where Is The Love" was a huge hit, and the mellow tone
of the proceedings must have been in sync with the times or something.
Most of the tracks are duets - Hathaway's voice is nice enough - though
Flack's endless "Mood" is an electric piano instrumental. (DBW)
Killing Me Softly (1973)
An intermediate step between the small group sound of her first album
and the slick orchestration of the next release, this disc finds
Flack at the height of her powers. Besides the hit title cut
(remarkable for its echoey choral effect), there's
lots of pensive mood music ("I'm The Girl," Janis Ian's "Jesse") and
snappy pop-soul ("No Tears (In The End)" by percussionist Ralph
MacDonald, Eugene McDaniel's "River" with a freaky, shifting
arrangement). Though as usual Flack didn't write a note on the
album, it's a fine introduction to her approach - the only real dud is
at least interesting: the string-fest "Suzanne" (another Cohen cover).
(DBW)
Feel Like Makin' Love (1974)
A relative flop, her only release during this period not to hit the Top
Ten. I can't see why: the record is consistently pretty, catchy and
professional, with sophisticated jazz-pop arrangements and more variety
than you might think if you're only familiar with Flack's huge hits.
The title track (her third #1 single) is intentionally insubstantial,
creating a pleasantly light mood, but elsewhere Flack joyously
celebrates carnality in no uncertain terms
("I Wanted It Too," "Mr. Magic"), and even throws in a wry blues with
religious overtones ("Some Gospel According To Matthew"). Once again she didn't
write anything, but she produces and plays piano
(under the pseudonym "Rubina Flake"), besides singing in her usual
serene fashion. The record's low point is the unbearably overextended
13-minute version of Stevie Wonder's donated
"I Can See The Sun In Late December."
There is a huge crew of session musicians, many with jazz credentials:
Bob James, Hugh McCracken, Richard Tee, Anthony Jackson, Patti Austin, Alphonse Mouzon and
MacDonald.
(DBW)
Blue Lights In The Basement (1977)
The last Flack album to have significant jazz content: McDaniels's "Why
Don't You Move In With Me" has a sprightly electric piano line and
clever changes; Morgan Ames's "I'd Like To Be Baby To You" shifts from
gentle ballad to small-combo jazz.
There's also a fair amount of straight, not too interesting pop: the hit
duet with Hathaway "The Closer I Get To You"; Morgan Ames's gentle "I'd
Like To Be Baby To You"; Rachel Perry's reggae-flavored "Fine, Fine
Day." The crew of songwriters also includes
Michael Masser & Ron Miller ("After
You") and
Gwen Guthrie ("This Time I'll Be Sweeter,"
recently covered by India).
At this point the sincere-sounding, low-key production and performance
keeps everything engaging instead of cloying, a tricky balance Flack
wasn't able to maintain on later releases. Many of the same musicians as
on the previous release - Jackson, McCracken - plus studio bigshots like
Steve Gadd, Will Lee, Basil
Fearrington, Ronnie Foster, James Mtume and Reggie Lucas.
Backup singers include Guthrie, Jim Gilstrap, Lani Groves and Deniece
Williams. (DBW)
Roberta Flack (1978)
All of a sudden, Flack sounds in a rut; the light touch is overused to
the point that everything sounds insubstantial, including
a cover of the Stylistics hit "You Are Everything." MacDonald's "What A
Woman Really Means" is closest to the engaging subtlety of her earlier
work, but it still creaks a bit; the only real sign of life is on the
catchy but repetitive "Baby I Love You So." Three dull, heavily
orchestrated numbers were written and produced by Joe Brooks; the rest
is produced by Flack with engineer Joe Ferla. The players are mostly the
usual suspects: Jackson, McCracken, MacDonald, Steve Ferrone, Steve
Gadd, Ronnie Foster, Basil Fearrington; Gwen Guthrie adds some backing
vocals. (DBW)
 Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (1980)
In fact Hathaway only appears on a couple of tracks here: he'd killed
himself a year before the record was released. The arrangements are
heavily disco-influenced, a sharp change from the mellow sound of her
big hit albums. Two songs were contributed by Stevie Wonder, the soaring "You're My Heaven"
(featuring Hathaway) and the formula disco "Don't Make Me Wait Too
Long." Flack's "Only Heaven Can Wait (For Love)" (written with Eric
Mercury) has a memorable melody; the rest, though enjoyable, is
basically off of turntable, out of mind. (DBW)
Live & More (Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson: 1980)
A mostly live double album, and it's godawful: I have no idea why Flack
hooked up with this guy. The arrangements are overpolished and soulless,
and Bryson spotlights his incredibly routine pop-soul songwriting
(like Earth Wind & Fire without guts or good
melodies) on several endless features - the longest is a twelve minute
medley, "Love In Every Season/I Believe In You," though "Feel The Fire"
is arguably more painful. Though there are several duets (including a
take on "You
Are My Heaven"), most of the tracks star
either Flack or Bryson: she sings lead on a cover of
Brenda Russell's "If Only For
One Night," Guthrie's "God Don't
Like Ugly," and her own hits "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Killing Me
Softly." Then there's the nine-minute version of "Don't Make Me Wait
Too Long," which was just a Chic imitation to
begin with. This wasn't a big seller, and indicated that Flack was
not successfully adapting to the end of the 70s.
Her band here
includes heavy hitters like Marcus
Miller and Luther Vandross; Bryson's band is made up of people I've
never heard of (which may say more about me than about them). (DBW)
Bustin' Loose (1981)
Soundtrack to the Richard Pryor/Cicely Tyson film. I do not have it and I don't know where to get it. (DBW)
 I'm The One (1982)
A rare case of an artist sticking with a worn-out formula long after
it's stopped producing commercial results: another collection of slow,
bland tunes lacking the charm of her hit 70s work. Ralph MacDonald
wrote half the material including the dreadful title track, and produced
with Flack, William Eaton, and William Salter. Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager
contributed the cheesy movie theme "Making Love," which doesn't even
have a nice melody. Bryson's faux funk "Ordinary Man" stands out here
only because the rest of the disc is so lifeless; the only really
listenable number is Brenda Russell's "My Love For You." Marcus
Miller is back on bass, along with
Gadd, Tee, Eric Gale, and a guest
appearance by Grover Washington Jr. on soprano sax. (DBW)
Born To Love (Peabo Bryson/Roberta Flack: 1983)
Surprisingly, this second Bryson/Flack collaboration is pretty good: Michael Masser & Gerry
Goffin's "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" was a major hit, and it's
pleasant watered-down Ashford & Simpson.
Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager came
up with a clever unpredictable ballad ("Maybe") along with the less
distinguished "Blame It On Me." Writer/producer Bob Gaudio, last seen
committing Vegasy crimes against humanity with Diana Ross, redeems himself in partnership
with Bob Crewe of "Lady Marmalade"
fame, contributing an enjoyable dance tune ("Heaven Above Me") and another
memorable ballad ("You're Lookin' Like Love To Me," which I believe was
also a single). The biggest surprise of all is Bryson himself, who
wrote the gorgeous, Earth Wind & Fire-like title
ballad (Flack's not audible on the track; otherwise, the album is made up of
duets). As usual, a zillion session musicians are on hand. Almost all
the tempos are slow ("I Just Came Here To Dance"), but that shouldn't
bother you if you're a Flack fan; there are some boring tunes (Masser &
Goffin's "Comin' Alive") and zero innovation, but overall it's probably
the best work of Flack's later period. (DBW)
 Oasis (1988)
The biggest collection of session musicians I've ever seen anywhere:
Jerry Hey, Larry Williams, Marcus Miller, Mike Landau, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Gadd, Paulinho Da Costa, Nathan East, Paul Jackson Jr., David Sanborn, ad infinitum. With
this crew, I'd have been surprised if the record hadn't been slick and
anonymous-sounding, and I wasn't surprised. There are some nice touches,
like Xangane vocals on the title track, and enjoyable South American
percussion on "(His Name) Brazil." Unfortunately, the tunes are as
lifeless as the production: Ashford &
Simpson contribute the disappointingly routine "Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look
Out (Here It Comes)," Marcus Miller and Andy Goldmark each contribute
two dull numbers, and the tracks which Flack co-writes aren't much
better, though she brings in collaborators the caliber of Maya Angelou
("And So It Goes") and Brenda Russell ("You
Know What It's Like"). Another sad attempt by a 70s star to recapture
past glories by riding 80s trends - spare yourself. (DBW)
Setting The Night To Music (1991)
Produced by Arif Mardin, and his idea was
to apply the Adult Contemporary synth approach of Oasis to a
mix of standards and new tunes, all love songs. The standards are
so well known ("Unforgettable," Irving Berlin's "Always," Thom and Linda
Bell's "You Make Me Feel Brand New") and the backing (largely arranged
and performed by Joe Mardin and Robbie
Kondor) is so predictable you'd need a really rousing, hair-standing
voice to put the songs across; Flack's gentle lilt isn't enough. The new
compositions are hit or miss: the title track is an instantly
forgettable duet with Maxi Priest (remember him?), written by master
hack Diane Warren; "The Waiting
Game" features a rap written by Arif Mardin and performed by Quincy Jones - not to say that guys in
their 50s and 60s can't do compelling hip hop, but these two are not
even close. Bob Gaudio cowrites "When Someone Tears Your Heart In Two,"
an ordinary ballad that's nowhere near as bad as his worst work, but not
in the same league as his songs on Born To Love, either. Jerry
and Katreese Barnes contribute two tunes, "Natural Thing" and the
lovely, supple "Friend" - the album's high point. Other musicians
include Reggie Griffin, Greg Phillinganes, and Steve
Skinner. (DBW)
Roberta (1994)
Looks like this is all covers: Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," Stevie's "Lookin' For
Another Pure Love," B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone." (DBW)
Compared to what?
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