Roberta Flack
's debut album, titled
First Take
in true underachiever fashion, introduced a singer who'd assimilated the powerful interpretive talents of
Nina Simone
and
Sarah Vaughan
, the earthy power of
Aretha Franklin
, and the crystal purity and emotional resonance of folksingers like
Judy Collins
. Indeed, the album often sounded more like vocal jazz or folk than soul, beginning with the credits: a core quartet of
Flack
on piano,
Bucky Pizzarelli
on guitar,
Ron Carter
on bass, and
Ray Lucas
on drums, as fine a lineup as any pop singer could hope to recruit. With only one exception -- the bluesy, grooving opener "Compared to What," during which
proves her chops as a soul belter -- she concentrates on readings of soft, meditative material. A pair of folk covers, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye," are heart-wrenching standouts; the first even became a surprise hit two years later, when its appearance in the
Clint Eastwood
film
Play Misty for Me
pushed it to the top of the pop charts and earned
her first Grammy award for Record of the Year. Her arrangement of the traditional "I Told Jesus" has a simmering power, while "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" summons a stately sense of melancholy.
also included two songs from her college friend and future duet partner,
Donny Hathaway
, including a tender examination of the classic May-December romance titled "Our Ages or Our Hearts." The string arrangements of
William Fischer
wisely keep to the background, lending an added emotional weight to all of
's pronouncements. No soul artist had ever recorded an album like this, making
one of the most fascinating soul debuts of the era. ~ John Bush