Customer Reviews

Killing Me Softly

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I can only say on thing about Roberta: there's you and there's Aretha. I'm not kidding, and on this set, her most soulful album ever, you'll see what I mean. Roberta Flack is an artist, period. Her voice is truly amazing, so strong and yet so soft, and always on key...and this voice comes from a former piano player and elementary school teacher. One of the highlights here is "Jesse," which is not available elsewhere - it's one of her best vocals ever.

Why doesn't Roberta Flack get the same attention as so many other singers of the 1970s? Is it because she never wrote many of her songs? This is a lovely album from start to finish. The title track, for Don McLean (although not written by Flack) takes on a more powerful lustre in its proper context. 'Jesse' is tear-jerkingly glorious, and 'Suzanne' an unexpected treat.

There is music and then there is something like this...a smoky voice that owns every song...every word a part of her...this is an album for late nights and fireplaces. The songs are well mixed if somewhat eclectic (if you haven't been to that place by the river with the mysterious Suzanne...do yourself a favor and take the tour...)and despite an earlier reviewers faux pas Ms Flack and the soulful "Killing me softly with HIS Song" (rather than THIS song) will be around somewhere close to forever!

When you're in a funk, don't fight it, play this album. Roberta is the most underrated pioneer of female soft rock!!! She is her music! When others stop signing and put down the microphone and walk away, they separate themselves but Roberta is Roberta Flack sings forever and there is NO separation. Songs like Suzzanne, that have been sung buy the greats including Judy Collins pales in comparison to Roberta's soulful rendition. She lives through her music and her music lives through her. Buy this album!! Buy it now!!! You can say thanks later

Right out of High School "Killing Me Softly" was a huge hit. And the album of the same title has equally fantastic numbers. Along with the title song, my other favorites are "Jesse", "I'm the Girl" and the final track "Suzanne". Just make yourself comfortable, put on your headphones and enjoy a great listen. And when you get to "Suzanne", turn the volume up a bit and let the beautiful string arrangements carry you away. A great CD from one of Roberta's best efforts.

Her voice&arrangements are Incredible.I feel this Album is a TimeLess Classic.Her Influence is all over current Female R-N-B music especially with Lauyrnn Hill,Angie Stone etc..I enjoy The Vibe of Her Voice&Music.she is a Genius.

When this album came out in August 1973 as Atlantic 19154 it quickly became a best-seller, containing two songs that were also hit singles, albeit slightly different from the LP versions heard here.

The first was Killing Me Softly With His Song, inspired by the effect a Don McLean performance had on singer/songwriter Lori Lieberman (although it was written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox), which peaked at # 1 Billboard Pop Hot 100 and # 2 on each of the R&B and Adult Contemporary (AC) charts early in 1973. The other is Jesse, written by Janis Ian, which finished at # 3 AC/# 19 R&B/# 30 Hot 100 in October 1973 b/w No Tears (In The End) - also included here.

In 1995, at the dawning of the CD age, it was common for the big U.S. distributors such as Sony and Universal to digitally remaster many of the top vinyl albums and, as a consequence, the market was flooded with 8- to 12-track CDs, which also carried a hefty price at the time. Most have dropped considerably in that regard (including this one) as competition from distributors in the U.K. and other parts of Europe (where they have different copyright laws) entered the market. These, invariably, often have upwards of 28 tracks with vastly-improved sound reproduction techniques employed, AND copious liner notes and discographies.

This one has absolutely nothing in the way of informative notes but, if what you're looking for is merely a quality replacement for that old LP then by all means this will fill the bill, and at a reasonable cost. Otherwise, search around for more recent Roberta Flack compilations that will give you these and many more of her biggest numbers.