Roberta Flack

She is a totally unique artist, a musical legend. She is, in the truest sense of the word, a stomp-down, no-doubt-about-it Diva. A peerless musical storyteller, skilled musician, and accomplished performer, her true genius lies in her ability to get right inside a song and reach her listeners, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul.

She's influenced a raft of contemporary artists, including such hit-makers as Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, and Oleta Adams. Music lovers and critics the world over agree that when it comes to genuine sensitivity and pure emotion, Roberta Flack is one of a kind. Proof positive can be found on her latest album, "Roberta," which marks her 25th year as an Atlantic recording artist.
Her fourteenth album for the label brings together the many musical strands - from R&B to jazz, from blues to pop - that make Roberta's style so distinctive and compelling. From the opening cut, her soulful reading of the Al Green classic "Let's Stay Together," to the final notes of the upbeat, jazz-flavored original "You'll Never Know," Roberta gives her all. "These are songs that I’ve wanted to record for years, the kind of tunes I used to do in live performance," the songstress notes.

Throughout the album; Roberta treats popular stand-bys with her trademark approach. Take as a case in point the aforementioned R&B chestnut "Let's Stay Together." "It's a great song - one that lends itself to different interpretations," she comments. "It was a wonderful midtempo song, but I slowed it down and made it more of a ballad. I feel that by telling the story a little slower, I can give the song my own reading."

Roberta's talent for putting her own stamp on great standards goes back to her early years playing in such Washington, DC nightclubs as Mr. Henry's. Paying tribute to that important time in her life, Roberta offers an intimate take on tunes like "Isn't It Romantic" (featuring renowned jazz pianist Kenny Barron) and "My Romance," which is flavored with simple piano and bass accompaniment. "I tried to take a bare bones approach to `My Romance,"' says Roberta, "so all you get are my feelings."
Elsewhere on the album, Roberta looks back to her childhood years in Asheville, North Carolina and Arlington, Virginia, when she would listen to her father's favorite singers on old 78 RPM records - folks like Buddy and Ella Johnson, whose "I Don't Care Who Knows (Baby, I'm Yours)" gets a bluesy, R&B reading. In the same vein, "Angel Eyes" (a song recorded by jazz vocalists Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan before being popularized by Nat King Cole) is given a moody, spellbinding treatment.

Maintaining the album's jazz-inspired feel, Roberta caresses the standard "Tenderly," and pays homage to the late, great Billy Eckstine with a poignant version of "Cottage For Sale," his 1945 top 5 R&B hit. She adds new life to the classic "Sweet Georgia Brown," whose main character, she says, emerges as "vulnerable, soft, assertive, and desirable"; and B.B. King's "Thrill Is Gone" gets a funky, R&B workout.

Flack fans will notice the emergence of a renewed sense of musical freedom throughout "Roberta," which she co-produced with collaborators Jerry & Katreese Barnes, Bernard C. Wright, Barry Miles, Shane Keister, and Rich Keller. Atlantic Records co-founder and Chairman/CEO Ahmet Ertegun served as the album's Executive Producer.

Roberta says the sessions led to a "letting go" of her creative energy, which is amply evident as she swings through the Duke Ellington classics "In A Sentimental Mood" and "Prelude To A Kiss." She explains: "Some years ago I performed at a jazz festival in tribute to Duke and ever since then, I’ve been looking to record some of his music. ‘Prelude’ is the perfect song to bring his greatness to the attention of young people who may not be familiar with his contributions to music."

Roberta closes the album with "You'll Never Know," another tune she says is about the need to let go. "It's something I’ve been trying to do in my life, and certainly on this album," she reflects.

An unforgettable, mooing collection; "Roberta" is the perfect testament to her legacy as an internationally-acclaimed recording artist and performer. "It's a summary of where I am after twenty-five years," says Roberta. "It represents where my life is at now.”