First Take, Last Take - Remembering Roberta Flack
The queen of Dionysian dreams, the soul sister of contemporary proportions greater than anything we could ever imagine, Roberta Cleopatra Flack, the madame of melody, has transitioned to the other side exactly two weeks after her 88th. A stellar staple in the world of music, poetic politics, fundamental female power, and all things beautiful, Flack was and will forever remain an irresistible icon to the world she has inspired for over half a century. While it is almost impossible to run through every melodic moment spent and every album articulated, it is wise to harmoniously highlight the electrifying efforts the late musician made on the people, place, and things that radiate her influence, creative charisma, and bravery. Debuting in 1969 with her subliminal masterpiece, “First Take,” Flack captured perhaps the most concrete evidence of soul-inspired rhythms of her time by blending the generous genre with the blues into this poetically prestigious formula of power, prophetic precision, and progressive perfection.
“I didn’t know how well my first album had done; it was enough to get me to do the second album, which was a continuation of the music I’d worked on and perfected.”
A fundamental figure whose choice of voice echos into the eternal inferno, her life on and off the stage was seamless as the meditative message and movement of music stirred the souls and streets of the people who, to this day, will forever consider her the quintessential queen of marvelous melody, and a freedom fighter like no other. With albums such as “Quite Fire,” 1973’s magnum opus “Killing Me Softly," “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” and “Oasis,” establishing an electrifying body of work, it is without a doubt that Flack’s rich and rhythmically romantic discography has inspired generation after generation with no hesitation in sight as we mourn her melodic majesty. Lyrically legit and monumentally magical, Flack has remained a spiritual staple in contemporary music for over half a century while coexisting within later subgenres and their lucid leaders like Erykah Badu and the Fugees’ Lauren Hill. A heart of greatness filled with visceral vision and endless talent, Flack will always remain a solid spirit of force and faith in the world of human connection as we bravely continue to move forward without her glorious guidance and distinct direction. She was 88. An open-to-the-public Memorial Celebration of Roberta’s Life will be held at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, NYC, on March 10 at 4 pm for those who wish to praise and celebrate her legendary legacy.
