Roberta
Flack still sophisticated
By Monica Levette Clark
On-line Forty-Niner
In
her 33rd year in the music business Roberta
Flack proved that she still had the chops
and sophistication to woo an audience
at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Saturday.
Although it has been said that she had not
performed live in quite some time, Flack
took to the stage like a seasoned pro. Welcomed
with applause by the conservative audience,
she sang a snippet of her 1972 hit, “First
Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which segued
into “Why Don’t You Move In With Me.”
Supported by a talented background singer,
along with bass, drum, guitar, horns, and
keyboard players, Flack warmed up the stage
and the hands of the audience.
She slowed it down with “The Closer I Get
To You,” as she and the background singer
flirtatiously sang to each other, moving
in closer and closer. “Sweet is the
gravity,” they sang as the two leaned in
even closer for a sweet peck on the lips
to finish the song.
On “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” her first hit
to reach number one on both pop and R&B
charts, Flack took the recognizably older
crowd back to a time of their youth. On
“Killing Me Softly With His Song,” the audience
was told to “watch the teacher,” while she
instructed them to participate in singing
the chorus.
Another hit, “Tonight I Celebrate My Love
For You,” which she first recorded with
Peabo Bryson, was a gem and a favorite among
the crowd. Flack finished with her signature
piece, “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,”
as couples in the audience clutched to each
others wrists and shoulders.
With grace and soul, Flack performed a 90-minute
set, which seemed more like 30, leaving
the audience thankfully satisfied, but wanting
more.
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