Customer Reviews

I'm the One

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

and who better to express the sentiments of this album than Roberta. The lyrics, the melodies, the whole presentation invites you to put this on when you are with the one you love. I pride myself on being a realist most of the time, but this album touches my "sensitive side." It may be corny or sugary to some, but if you feel this way about the album, as Roberta says, you've "Never Loved Before." Roberta is assertive on "I'm The One," bold when talking about the "Ordinary Man," and understated on "Making Love." When she sings "Happiness," the feeling she conveys is heartfelt. This is one of those CD'S I put on in the car, and just SING TO, over and over. A wonderful album.

Though this album was savaged by critics upon release in '80, it's hard to understand how anyone could resist the simple charms of "I'm The One." Perhaps that simplicity is what irked them...after all, Ms. Flack was (according to white Pop critics) supposed to be a SERIOUS artist, full of socio-political import if not just full of herself. Granted, her earliest albums were notable for their unique songs and the fact that there were few black female songwriters in Pop (or Soul) music at the time. But the fact that Ms. Flack chose to go a more commercial route than critics thought she should is hardly a reason to dismiss her later albums as "superficial."

"I'm The One" is a lush collection of love songs and 'morning after' musical reflections, altogether seamless in it's romantic appeal. With the help of sidemen like Marcus Miller and Ralph MacDonald, this album is as sultry and sweet as a Summer night's kiss. There are also a handful of wistful takes on love gone wrong, like the beautiful and bittersweet "Making Love." As the musical theme from the ill-fated movie of the same name, "Making Love" is still one of Roberta's most recognizeable hits twenty years later.

There are plenty of other highlights: the jaunty, boastful vibe of the title tune; the glorious and un-ashamedly lovestruck "Til The Morning Comes"; and the plain-spoken devotion and admiration that colors "Happiness."

Ultimately, it shouldn't matter that the word "love" is repeated a zillion times on this album. The sincerity of the sentiments expressed is never a question, and the graceful way Roberta's vocals illustrate her passion creates an invitation to share in her romantic revelry...even for those who have "Never Loved Before."

-Mic

With the release of "I'm The One" in 1982, Roberta Flack's transformation from virtuoso performer to MOR artiste was complete. Trashed by critics for its non-descript but seamless and radio friendly blandness, "I'm The One" produced a couple of moderate sized R & B chart hits but was otherwise headed for oblivion. Produced by Ralph McDonald, Flack herself and a couple of others, the album doesn't seem all that bad with hindsight. Compared with the techno programmed music excess of "Set The Night To Music", there is an understated charm about it. The album opens up with the sweetly lilting title track and continues in much the same vein with a string of ballads until the Bacharach/Bayer Sager composed and produced "Making Love", easily the worst cut on the album. By then, Bacharach was a shadow of his former self. He was no longer writing memorable, timeless and breathtakingly beautiful ballads for 60s divas like Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield. In partnership with his then new wife, Carole Bayer Sager, he was only capable of churning out songs with pedestrian melodies like "Making Love". A real shame. It's also difficult to pick winners or highlights from an album whose main characteristic is eveness in terms of performance and production values. The only time I truly wish it were less blandly MOR is when Grover Washington Jr comes on with his Kenny G inspired soprano sax, turning basically decent songs like "In The Name of Love" and "My Love For You" into elevator muzak. "I'm The One" may not have been one of Roberta's prouder moments, but it sure beats some of her later efforts on which she is made completely subservient to the music of the times.

Roberta Flack's I'm the one is dynamic. From beginning to end it will make you melt. I'm The One let's you know just that, she is the one. Roberta puts lyrics to one of Grover Washington, Jr's songs (In The Name Of Love), this was beautifully done. "Til the Morning comes", oops excuse me, will make you(smile). This song embodies all the lovelies fo soft intimate passion that can only come out of a song, sung by Roberta. Wow!!!!!! "There's more to love I know, then making love", is the hook Roberta uses in singing this sweet love song (Making Love). As a musician I highly reccomend this album, for the love and joy of sweet, sweet, music, especially coming from Roberta Flack. Listen, the purchase of this disc will be a great investment.

I'm a layman not a music conoisseur, but as a love song album, this is a perfect and classic album. I don't know much about music arrangements, but everyone can appreciate music and in terms of enjoyment, passion and satisfaction, this is a great album I'd recommend to anyone who wants to be calmed and relaxed, meditative and inspired.

Great tape, I thougth the arraingment on this song was GREAT! This is a must order!

I have been listening to Roberta Flack since the early 1970's. I am just in the frame of mind, That it will never be another voice like this voice.This Cd here "I'm The One' is indeed a great CD. I just happen to hear it one night while I was on Guard Duty stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. And I went and ask the person what is the name of that CD, for I knew it was Roberta Flack. But I just had never heard that CD.At that time or I should say era, I bought it in a cassette format....But I wore it out. As I now look back at my younger soldier days at that time. And I hear that song, It brings back alot of memories. I Love Roberta Flack....no voice like that will ever be forgotten, although praise God at the time that I am writing this message, she is still alive. I remember her and Donnie Hathaway doing so many great songs together, not to even mention her and Peabo's great combo's together. She is a super great singer, and I dearly do beilive that she was under-rated by some.How in the world a great singer did not get the attention that she should have, I will never be able to figure that one out. I do say and Thank God for music and the voice of this great Lady. And I do feel that you cannot do nothing but enjoy this music. I also feel that this one CD/album here...."I'M The One certainly should have been awarded highly.This is top of the line music produce by her and it is very nice. It is not too many Cd's that you can buy, and say that you enjoyed every song on it. I promise you that you will indeed say that about this Cd. God bless Roberta Flack

I have heard her voice in the back-ground of some T.V. movies and as soon as I heard it my ears go up like a Deer's in headlights, coming to the end of a movie, I was indeed correct, It was Roberta Flack after all that sung in the back-ground of that movie. I am not a drinker but if you like some awesome quite soft gentle music....to just simply sit and down with a drink and enjoy her music. I can assure you, that you will indeed fall over into the land of relaxing and a peace of mind......"trust me'' on that.This is by far the best of female singers all over the world. I did not say that she was the very best. But I stated one of the best. Very short and simple...This is just great music.

Likely still reeling from the emotionalism involved in the passing of her longtime musically collaborator Donny Hathaway,Roberta Flack realized not only had a great musical talent had been lost but an era as well. She'd never been anything remotely close to a disco artist. But the fact is she was no more exempt than anyone else to the early 80's "freeze-out" that squeezed any R&B based artist playing dance based music. During this time a new form of music managed to sneak in between the lines to take over called urban contemporary. This was basically a radio format that accommodated a number of different soul,funk and R&B styles. This was excellent news for an artist like Roberta Flack. And it was probably the idea stage for her to set up her comeback. Not only that but she was hardly in very bad company either as it turned out.

Musically this is for all intents and purposes a Grover Washington Jr album featuring Roberta being the singer. It has the usual lineup of that period:Eric Cale,Richard Tee,Steve Gadd and even Grover himself on a couple of tracks. All the same this is pretty much a classic example of 80's urban,adult contemporary light jazz/pop and funk. The funky tracks have a sleek lilting groove to them. From the sassy shuffle of the title song,the more midtempo smooth groove of "Til The Morning Comes" to the more down in the pocket "Ordinary Man" there's a great variety explored. Among those are songs such as "Love And Let Love","Never Loved Before" and of course the Bacharach/Sager piece "Making Love",from the highly underrated film of the same name that are more typical Roberta Flack fair. Sensing an overriding theme here? It's true. This album is built on the idea of romance. Maybe it was a cliche. But by and large the adult aspect of that comes through in the lyrics as well.

Does this album offer any type of grand new musical statement for Roberta Flack?No it doesn't of course. But it did place her in just about the best place she could be comfortable musically on her own during this time. Being involved in the urban/adult contemporary music scene of the early 80's was a pretty cozy place to be for a slick musical stylist such as Flack. While the whole culture surrounding this has to a degree resulted in albums such as this getting a bad rap over the years,it would be hard to not put this on and find yourself being able to clear your head a bit. Yes it is very uniform even in terms of the grooves. But all the same the dignity and intelligence Flack infuses into her vocal and lyrical interpretation showcase a certain strength to it. That also keeps things from getting boring. Roberta Flack is an artist capable of doing absolutely amazing music. Honestly I don't think she even now has achieved her full creative potential. But this album showcases her generally at some of her best musically.

Roberta really put it down on this project. This may well been her most underrated recording. I just love listening to "I'm the one". That's a beautiful song. I'm glad to have came across this title.

In her heyday, Roberta Flack was one of those few artists who can make even pedestrian material sound good (with other singers, it would only make their shortcomings more apparent). In the case of 1982's I'M THE ONE, she had not much material worthy of her talents, but still did what she could.

Roberta was already a legend in 1982, so it was safe to not expect another classic like "Killing Me Softly With His Song" or "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" & just go with it. Her albums from FIRST TAKE (1969) to BLUE LIGHTS IN THE BASEMENT (1977) were the highlights of Roberta's career (as well as all soul music) & remain such even now. After that, Roberta began taking a more leisurely pace to her recording career, doing it only when the spirit moved her (it had been 4 years since her last album, 1978's ROBERTA FLACK). That's what seemed to be missing from I'M THE ONE: the heart that went into her legend-making classics.

MAKING LOVE was a controversial movie back in 1982, its homosexual love triangle storyline rather daring for its time. But while the movie may have made headlines, it wasn't a big success at the box office. Nevertheless, the title theme by Roberta was probably enough for it to stand on its own & it was. Peaking at #13 in 1982, it was her biggest hit in nearly 5 years & somewhat well-deserved. The lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager were quite beautiful in their simplicity, especially with a line like "There's more to love, I know/than making love". The melody, on the other hand, by Sager's then-husband Burt Bacharach, left a lot to be desired. His better days were behind him by now, so it's understandable why his work on this song was not up to snuff. His melody is so light & transparent, it's barely there. But Roberta's delivery makes up for it, creating one of her most underrated songs & a song that should have reached higher on the charts.

There's no doubt that "Making Love" is the highlight of I'M THE ONE, which is that rare thing from Roberta Flack: a mixed bag. This time, she seems at the mercy of her material, which is certainly not up to the level of her classics. songs like "'Til The Morning Comes", "Love & Let Love", "In The Name Of Love" & "Never Been Loved Before" sound almost identical, the quasi-soft rock arrangements further rendering them almost anonymous. The main theme of those songs is almost the same, as well: "Let's forget what our friends say, we're in love & that's all that matters".

But the remaining songs are actually quite good, it's just that production-wise, they're nearly sunk by the AC-ready sound of all of them that shows little variety. The title track is rather brash with Roberta saying she's the best when it comes to showing love, but then again, if a man was singing it, it'd be considered posturing & self-serving. With Roberta, it actually sounds inviting. "Ordinary Man", "Happiness" & "My Love For You" are other songs that manage to rise above the worn-out sentiments of love songs, if just barely. But with such songwriters (and Quiet Storm regulars) like Bobby Caldwell, Peabo Bryson & Brenda Russell contributing, you gotta wonder if they were giving Roberta their bottom-drawer material.

I don't normally give albums a three-star rating because by my standards, that's quite harsh. Plus, an album has to really sound uninspired from my ears to warrant such a response. But if an artist has created some truly great music & then turns around has an off-day, three stars is more than fair. With Roberta Flack & I'M THE ONE, the situation calls for this. Before she recorded this album, the music she made was nothing less than phenomenal & was really some of the best soul music ever recorded. With I'M THE ONE though, her keen eye for good material was just not as present as it once was. We could only hope that next time, Roberta kept her eyes open for music that was worthy of her talent.