In an era where popular music is fluid, it is easy to forget the listening world was not always so open. Unless, of course, Roberta Flack's career is closely examined.
Flack, whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died Monday. She leaves behind a rich repertoire of music that avoids categorization. Her debut, “First Take,” wove soul, jazz, flamenco, gospel and folk into one revelatory package, prescient in its form and measured in its approach.
