Roberta Flack’s 11 Essential Songs

 

Roberta Flack’s 11 Essential Songs

Roberta Flack, one of the most defining voices of the 1970s and a master of musical reinvention, has passed away at 88.

At a 1997 concert in New York, Flack described her voice as a “blessed instrument,” and for generations of listeners, it was exactly that—a mesmerizing force capable of shifting from cool restraint to luxurious warmth, or swelling with quiet intensity, all within a single song.

Flack’s journey began in the classroom, where she taughtRoberta Flack, Grammy Award-winning singer, dead at 88 music, drawing from her deep roots in both classical training and Black church traditions. But she soon became a star, crafting No. 1 hits that blended pop, soul, and jazz into something uniquely her own. A master of reinterpretation, she had a rare ability to transform a song’s essence, uncovering new emotional depths.

Her breakout hit, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, originally a folk ballad by Ewan MacColl, was first recorded by Peggy Seeger in 1957 as an upbeat, lilting tune accompanied by arpeggiated guitar—a hallmark of the early folk revival’s carefree spirit. In Flack’s hands, the song became something else entirely: a slow, smoldering expression of longing and desire. Her delicate vocal dynamics shifted from an intimate whisper to a powerful, almost haunting recollection of love’s intensity.

With her unparalleled artistry, Flack became the first artist to win back-to-back Record of the Year awards at the Grammys—first for The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face in 1973, and again for Killing Me Softly with His Song in 1974. These songs, along with the rest of her catalog, cemented her legacy as one of the great interpreters in modern music.