First Take

Like one other reviewer, Roberta Flack is my all time favorite vocalist. Her voice is nothing short of magical. It can be soft and gentle and powerful. On this album, she shows both ends of her spectrum. I saw her in concert, now some twenty five years ago. It was like no other concert I have ever seen in life, before or since. She was magical, from the very first moment she came out onto the stage with one word: "Hello". From that moment, she had the audience in the palm of her hands. Clint Eastwood may not have discovered her, but he sure gave her a wider audience by including her signature song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" in his dark movie, "Play Misty For Me". It was a classic, and propetic; the first time ever I heard her voice I knew that I was hearing something unlike anything I had ever heard before. Along with that wonderful piece, this album includes "That's No Way To Say Goodbye", and "Tryin' Times". These works sure make this album worth having. Her voice is a gem, to be treasured. The rumor was, back in the day, that Roberta Flack could make good music when she was happy, but could only make great music when she was unhappy. I am ashamed to say it, but if this is true, an awful lot of her fans sure got a lot of pleasure as a result of her pain. For her sacrifice, we owe her a great debt, and hopes for her happiness.