Reverend Lee/Do What You Gotta Do/Just Like A Woman/Let It Be Me/Gone Away/Until Its Time For You To Go/The Impossible Dream/Business Goes On As Usual
Chapter Two, the follow up album from jazz-soul singer Roberta Flack, relies rather heavily on contemporary MOR songs, for which she provides her own individualistic interpretations. (US:33)
"This is an album to slow down. If you're not willing to slow down, this is not your kind of album. The mood is ballad-esque. Roberta Flack has a beautiful voice. You can always understand what she's singing, and she's got perfect pitch. And she has all the time in the world to get her message across. Roberta Flack belongs to the soul genre just as much as to the singer/songwriter genre."
"Turn the lights out, light a fire in the fireplace, select your favourite bottle of wine, kick the kids out, curl up on the couch with your loved one, put this album on and enjoy. Reverend Lee, with good reason, is the classic of this album. You'll feel Roberta's warm breath on your neck as she sings of sin and lust. It'll take you back in time to that someone whom you couldn't resist, even though you knew better."
"The brilliant First Take was a tough act to follow, so it's all the more incredible that Roberta Flack actually succeeds in capturing the same high with her performance and musicianship on Chapter Two. I know it's easy to be cynical how any contemporary black artiste can offer a fresh perspective on familiar songs like Let It Be Me, The Impossible Dream and Until It's Time For You To Go which by 1970 had become standards included in the repertoire of cabaret artists. This LP proved beyond all doubt that Roberta Flack is an uncommonly gifted diva with the talent to transform just about anything from pop fodder to folk and blues standards into pure hymns of praise."
"A collection of beautiful ballads with spare, but superb musical accompaniment. Her voice is, all at once, tender, classy, soulful and plaintive. Many of these songs have been done to death, but in the hands of Ms. Flack they are fresh, powerful and dwarf all other versions by comparison. Highly recommended."
"Eight timeless pieces, this is arguably Roberta at her hauntingly best. A masterpiece and a must have for any serious collector. It is impossible to classify her style. She is not a true soul singer and not a jazz musician; she just emphasizes the melody of songs and underplays her music with a quietness and gentleness."
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