Maybe one of the most amazing debut records of all time – not only the record that first exposed the world to
Roberta Flack, but a set that heralded so many changes to come in the following decade!
Flack's genius here is almost impossible to put into words – part jazz, part soul, and completely righteous from the very first note – possessed of a sense of pride and power that belie both her understated image on the front cover, and her relatively young age – and delivered with a timelessness that still makes the record as vital today as it was so many years back. The set features
Flack playing piano and singing with her trio – sometimes augmented by larger arrangements by the very hip William S Fischer, but often in a setting that's very spare yet incredibly moving – instantly putting
Roberta at the same level as Nina Simone, and maybe even past the territory of Aretha Franklin at the time. Titles include her seminal reading of "Compared To What" – an instant anthem for the time – plus the tracks "Angelitos Negros", "Our Ages Or Our Hearts", and "Tryin Times".
(Original 1841 Broadway pressing.)