Killing Me Softly [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Roberta Flack | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 19, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000002J5U
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,450 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Out of print in the U.S.! Import pressing of the 1973 album from the sophisticated Soul vocalist. Eight tracks including the massive hit 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. Warner.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MADE ME A FLACK JUNKIE, December 13, 1999

By 

R. Penola (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Killing Me Softly (Audio CD)

This album is aboslutely intoxicating, and features some of the most perfectly produced pop music of the 70s. Roberta Flack's arrangement of SUZANNE is right up there with AMERICAN PIE as one of the best story-songs ever recorded. And NO TEARS IN THE END features that Flack specialty, hooking into the musical phrase with the most power and repeating it ad infinitum to deliriously effective results. I loved this album then; I love it more now. I am all grown up! And so is Roberta's reading of virtually all of these songs.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her last great album before venturing into a MOR career, July 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Killing Me Softly (Audio CD)

Roberta Flack's recording career traces back to 1968 but it wasn't until 1973 that she achieved widespread commercial success with "Killing Me Softly With This Song (KMSWTS)". Sure, she had had major successes prior to that with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" as well as four chart albums including a collaboration with Donny Hathaway but her relationship with the pop audience was always compromised by the fact that she was perceived as a serious black artiste....and classically trained at that.

So, riding on the back of her massive hit with KMSWTS, "Killing Me Softly (KMS)" presented the ideal opportunity for her to achieve a convincing cross over. No, she didn't sell out and make an all out pop album but she did include more commercial elements in it than was evident in her earlier albums. While Joel Dorn remained firmly at the producer's helm and Roberta's love for slow moody ballads (eg, "Jesse", "I Am The Girl") was still very much evident judging by her choice of material, the kitschy "When You Smile" seemed more than a casual nod at the supper club crowd. As it turned out, "KMS" was the precursor to the smooth midnight soul of "Feel Like Making Love" in 1975 and a couple more steps away from her metamorphosis into full fledged MOR artiste by the time she made "Blue Lights In The Basement" in 1977.

Be that as it may, "KMS" was an excellent album showcasing wonderful performances by Roberta throughout, particularly on the title track and on Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" which closes the album on a deeply resonant note. The gently rocking "River", the funky "No Tears (In The End)" and the lovely "Conversation Love" are other highlights showcasing Roberta's versatility. While "KMS" was the last great album she would make until she wisely abandoned her Adult Contemporary career to return to her roots with the phenomenal "Roberta" in 1994, I would still rate "KMS" a tad below "First Take", "Chapter Two" and "Quiet Fire", the albums on which she had established herself as a truly world class virtuoso performer. "KMS" was in some ways a transitional album but it was still an excellent one which gained her a broader audience and paved the way for the next phase of her career as MOR artiste.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Songs, music, arrangements, passion, highly influential..., June 17, 2002

By 

Nathan "Cawntry-fried Calypso Beach Bum" (Charlotte, N.C. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killing Me Softly (Audio CD)

Like the man who was once her duet partner, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack completely personalizes every song she sings, an' imprints so much class an' passion into every vocal performance that to overlook her is to overlook the very essence of great soul music. Anyone who listens to hip-hop or R&B knows her influence is pretty apparent. The simmering an' hypnotic ballad 'Killing Me Softly' opens the album, a beautiful song that was thankfully resurrected by Lauryn Hill and the Fugees, and 'Jesse' is an even more potent song that was memorably sampled by Puff Daddy a few years back on one of his rare poignant moments. Lotta the songs on this album could be torch songs sung in some smoky jazz club, particularly the lush and beautiful 'I'm the Girl'. There's also the Gospel-tinged middle-of-the-road song 'River' and she kicks a swingin', an' infectious number in 'When You Smile', definitely a golden oldie. My favorite joint though is 'No Tears (In the End)', somethin' in that song struck me heavily for some reason, and helped me one step closer to moving on from a very tough break-up. Music is the best medicine sometimes.

Classy, urbane, reserved, smooth, and sophisticated - all the ways you could describe Roberta Flack. If you're a young'n (the under-25 category) like me, an' just getting into the true soul-empowered R&B of the '60s and '70s don't sleep on this woman any longer. If you don't buy this, arguably her finest studio recording, then buy something, ANYTHING from her. For the most part, you can't go wrong.