Remembering Roberta Flack: 8 timeless hits to salute an unrivaled talent

Roberta Flack News

Remembering Roberta Flack: 8 timeless hits to salute an unrivaled talent
Ewan MaccollDonna MillsAndrés Eloy Blanco
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The great Roberta Flack has died.

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Cannabis edibles, medical marijuana, CBD infused gummies and edible pot concept theme with close up on colorful gummy bears and weed buds on dark backgroundImpact of edible drugs on mental health in light of Houston teen accused of shooting mother, sister Read full article: Impact of edible drugs on mental health in light of Houston teen accused of shooting mother, sisterHarris County sues Kitchen and Bath Decor for home renovation scam involving over 100 customersGet ready for some fabulous Insider Deals that will help you have a cozy night's sleep and elevate your style and beauty game.Read full article: Upgrade your travel and beauty routine with these Insider DealsIt’s still only $65 to get a 1-year Costco Gold Star Membership, but now it comes with $20 to spend Read full article: It’s still only $65 to get a 1-year Costco Gold Star Membership, but now it comes with $20 to spendFILE - Roberta Flack attends the Black Girls Rock! Awards in Newark, N.J. on Aug. 5, 2017. FILE - Roberta Flack holds the Grammy award for her record,"Killing Me Softly With His Song" as singer Isaac Hayes, right, looks on at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on March 4, 1974. FILE - Singer Roberta Flack poses for a portrait in New York on Oct. 10, 2018. FILE - Roberta Flack attends the Black Girls Rock! Awards in Newark, N.J. on Aug. 5, 2017. – In an era where popular music is fluid, it is easy to forget the listening world was not always so open. Unless, of course, Roberta Flack's career is closely examined. Flack, whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after,She leaves behind a rich repertoire of music that avoids categorization. Her debut, “First Take,” wove soul, jazz, flamenco, gospel and folk into one revelatory package, prescient in its form and measured in its approach.will likely be remembered for her classics — “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” and"Killing Me Softly with His Song” among them. As she should be. But her talents extend well beyond the familiar titles.Picking one standout from “First Take” is a fool's errand, but listeners would be wise to spend time with Flack's cover of theclassic “Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye,” a strong case for a reimagination eclipsing the original. Her voice transforms Cohen's lament. It's almost impossible to believe this song, let alone the entire record, was recorded over a period of just 10 hours at Atlantic Studios in New York in February 1969. But it was.by the Venezuelan writer Andrés Eloy Blanco titled “Píntame Angelitos Negros," with a title lifted from the 1948 Mexican film of the same name. The movie navigates interracial relationships when a white couple gives birth to a dark-skinned child. Beyond Flack's soaring vocal performance — delivered atop a robust string section and nylon-string guitars — the song serves as an anthem against racial discrimination and a stunning example of the singer's cross-boundary approach to music making.As the well-documented lore suggests, Roberta Flack's mainstream success story begins when her dreamy cover of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," written by English folk artist Ewan MacColl for his wifeIt quickly topped the Billboard pop chart in 1972 and received a Grammy for record of the year. But her relationship with the song, and her singular ability to bring it to such great heights, was almost kismet. Before recording the ballad, she had real familiarity with it, having taught it while working with a glee club during her years as an educator.It is Flack's best-known hit and one of the great love songs of the 20th Century. Flack first heard Lori Lieberman’s “Killing Me Softly with His Song” while on a plane and immediately fell in love with it. While on tour withHer voice is otherworldly in her recording — pinpointing a kind of neo-soul R&B that would dominate for years to come — and she was recognized for it. Flack became the first artist to win consecutive Grammys for best record with this one.A standard for R&B and jazz musicians alike — no doubt due to the grandeur of Flack's version — “Feel Like Makin' Love” is her third career No. 1. It's a mediative seduction, Flack embodying each lyrical vignette in her delivery. “Strollin’ in the park / Watchin’ winter turn to spring,” she opens the song, “Walkin’ in the dark / Seein’ lovers do their thing.”A soulful collaboration with her close friend Donny Hathaway, “The Closer I Get to You," is a reflective romance, both big-voiced and bigger-hearted singers lifting each other up. But despite its splendor, the song's legacy is marred in tragedy: In 1979, Flack and Hathaway started work on an album of duets when he suffered a breakdown during recording and fell to his death from his hotel room in Manhattan.The '80s brought soft rock detouring for Flack, another experimentation for the innovative performer. “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," a duet with the, is at the intersection of a few genres and simultaneously timeless — a feat for a song anchored in shimmery, synthetized production.In her later career, Flack continued to meet the current moment. A great example is “Set the Night to Music,” a glossy pop song with English singer Maxi Priest. It was released on her 1991 album of the same name, which also features a then-contemporary cover of Philadelphia soul groupCopyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Get ready for some fabulous Insider Deals that will help you have a cozy night's sleep and elevate your style and beauty game.Read full article: Upgrade your travel and beauty routine with these Insider DealsIt’s still only $65 to get a 1-year Costco Gold Star Membership, but now it comes with $20 to spend Read full article: It’s still only $65 to get a 1-year Costco Gold Star Membership, but now it comes with $20 to spend

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Ewan Maccoll Donna Mills Andrés Eloy Blanco Maxi Priest Maria Sherman Leonard Cohen Quincy Jones Entertainment Peabo Bryson Lori Lieberman Lauryn Hill

 

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