We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
All female soul singers in the early 70’s were being judged against a high standard. Aretha was the queen…and everyone else were members of her court. That included Roberta Flack who released her 3rd LP, “Quiet Fire” in 1971.
Flack was a different singer than Aretha. Instead of vocal pyrotechnics she relied on caressing a song with her perfect pitch, enunciation and, yes, a quiet fire..
It’s almost too quiet at times on this record. Flack was classically trained on the piano and accompanies herself on a lot of this. There are also a host of jazz luminaries on the record but their contributions are muted.
This record is about that perfect voice and for some critics at the time…that wasn’t enough. Remember, it would be another year before Clint Eastwood plucked the song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” from her first LP and used it in the movie “Play Misty For Me”. It became a massive hit and won a Grammy for Record of the Year. She would win that honor again the next year with “Killing Me Softly With His Song”. But she’s not there yet.
The songs are mostly one tempo…..sloooow. And although the readings are clear,precise and pitch-perfect, it’s almost soporific at times. Covers include “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, Jimmy Webb’s “See You Then” and an almost unrecognizable “To Love Somebody” from the Bee Gees.
One reviewer called it classy, urbane, reserved, smooth and sophisticated. But alot of others thought it was lifeless and boring. Noted curmudgeon Robert Christgau writing in the Village Voice admitted that Flack “sounds kind, intelligent and very likeable” but also argued later that she “has nothing to do witrh rock & roll, R & B and almost nothing to do with soul”. He compared her to Barry Manilow “with taste”
At least Manilow has his patented crescendos in his songs. It might be good to have some of that here to raise the energy level. This might even be too quiet for a make-out session on the couch.
Roberta Flack is a very talented singer but like a meal of fried rice and egg rolls…you’ll be hungry again in an hour or so.
