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Roberta Flack’s performances softly burned with the fire of life itself
The soul singer was ambitiously diverse in her musicianship, and enthralled at every turn – whether doing desolate folk cover versions or lighter, sophisticated pop
The dignified richness of her vocal was tempered by the subtly volcanic power she displayed on her reading of To Sir With Love off Lost Takes – a not-so-quiet fire that always resided within her. But it was her cover of Ewan MacColl’s folk standard The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – an almost unbearably intimate, desolate recording, used brilliantly by Clint Eastwood in his 1971 directorial debut Play Misty for Me – that sent the album to the top of the charts, selling more than 2m copies and winning Flack the first of numerous Grammys. The bold statements of her earlier work gave way to Christmas albums, sets of Beatles covers and the theme tune to NBC sitcom Valerie; still, no one sang them quite like Roberta.
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