#451: Roberta Flack, 'First Take'
Atlantic, 1969
There is a subgenre of R&B called, “quiet storm.” It is named after Smokey Robinson’s album, “Quiet Storm,” an album full of smooth, romantic and moody tunes.
Roberta Flack is the queen of “quiet storm.” You can feel the rain even if you never heard it coming.
In the end, though, storms are storms no matter the volume. They enter and leave unapologetically. They are dynamic, dangerous and clean.
Before this album was published, jazz pianist Les McCann heard her sing in a DC club. In the liner notes of the album cover, he wrote, “Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more…she alone had the voice.”
McCann introduced her to Atlantic Records where she auditioned by playing 42 songs in 3 hours. She clearly impressed them because Atlantic took this album on and produced it.
The album did not sell until 1972 when Clint Eastwood chose “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” for his movie, “Play Misty For Me.” The song was a hit and the album a success.
Roberta Flack didn’t just sing. She went to Howard University on a full-ride scholarship at 15 years old studying piano and then voice. With a background in classical, she can play anything and play with anyone.
On this album, she plays with politics, innocence, romance and desperation without feeling insincere, childish or ignorant. She chooses songs full of story and classic melodies and themes.
Her voice plus the songs she chooses to sing make for a moody magic.
She is not merely a singer. She is a quiet storm.
But no matter the volume, a storm is still a storm.
Top songs: Compared To What, Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face