Roberta Flack - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Immortal Duet Album From Two Stellar Artists!!

I was 8 yr old when this album came out and
it got heavy rotation from my mother and her freinds!
The musical marriage of Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack
was just musical perfection!
Both were prodigious talents vocal-wise and
in their fluency as instrumentalists!
There are a few covers on here..the only one I
could've done without was their rendition of Aretha's
classic "Baby, I Love You" because they brought
absolutely nothing to it.
But make no errors!
They absolutely put their foot in "I Who Have Nothing"
with it's deep bluesy longing that just captures the
pathos perfectly of wanting someone who doesn't want
you as much as you want them! (Woo!--Timeless!)

Donny Hathaway's rendition of "For All We Know" has
become the stuff of legend, and quite a few people
actually think that he was the originator
of this standard!
Now that's when you know that an artist has put
their mark on a song!...When everybody just assumes
that their rendition is the definitive one!
(Kinda like Luther and "A House Is Not A Home"
or "Superstar"!!)
Donny's voice was like buttah!
That man was just so brilliant that it hurts!

I also like what he and Roberta did on
"You've Lost That Loving Feeling"..
a kind of early 70's R&B / Jazz experiment that
opened it up more.
But now, nobody can top the Righteous Brothers version!

Donny & Roberta's version of "You've Got A Freind"
has also become one of legend!--(Just wonderful!)

"Come Ye Dissconsolate" is a church standard and
both Donny and Roberta put some down-home stank on it!
They both were raised up in the black gospel tradition
and it truly shows on this track!

Now on to the original compositions of this album...

"Be Real Black For Me" was a smooth but militant song
about not having to change your african-american
attributes to appeal to the object of your affection.
They did it to death, and any fan of either
Donny or Roberta would be remiss if they
didn't like this one!

"Where Is The Love" was a huge hit and won a
grammy back in 1972 for the duo!
It is another song that just lives on and on!

"When Love Has Grown" has a smooth early 70's
Carpenters meets Fifth Dimension kind of groove
and the two give a laid back but nonetheless
stirring performance on it.

"Mood" is a very dark and moving classical instrumental
piece that shows off their instrumental genius
and well as their Howard University School of
Music training.
All-n-All, this album is just plain CLASSIC!!

Though Donny's been gone 27 yrs now and is a legend
of epic proportions whose influence to black music
as a vocalist / songwriter / arranger & instrumentalist
is immeasurable, and of course Roberta Flack is
no slouch either! This was the first of their
timeless and perfect pairing, and a must-have for any
fan of great music!--Bar None!!

July 27, 2006

good music but they both have done better work

I WAS NOT HAS ENAMORED WITH THIS EFFORT BY THESE TWO ARTISTS.

I HAVE HEARD BETTER COMING FROM THESE VERY PROLIFIC SONGWRITERS/

SINGERS. I'D SAY 50% WAS GOOD 25% MEDIOCRE AND 25% NOT SO GOOD

ASIDE FROM THE MATERIAL THEIR VOICES WERE NEVER BETTER.

March 4, 2006

Absolute Classic

I can't say that I was around when this album was first released, but many current soul artists have invoked the names of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway so I figured I'd check this album out. This album is a wonderful collection of standards and original compositions. Roberta and Donny have made each of these songs their own, the emotion is overflowing. The instrumentation and vocal arrangements are superb, they help this album transcend genre. I'd recommend this album to just about anyone. February 20, 2005

a very warm and beautiful album

this 1972 classic album came out when i was 8 going on 9 years
old.roberta flack and donny hathaway represent the best of
classic duos in music history.my favorite tracks on this album
are:"be real black for me" the hit single-"where is the love"
and the very beautiful "when love has grown" and the very dark
beautiful instrumental piano piece entitled "mood"/it is genius
on how beautiful the way they have the songs "where is the love"
and "when love has grown" back 2 back.this is a very warm and
beautiful album from 2 music legends.roberta&donny along with
marvin&tammi and ashford&simpson and stevie&syreeta and rick&teena are the measuring stick 2 follow by.duets of this caliber in music will never be again.as i've said before,this is a very warm and beautiful album... October 22, 2004

Perfection.......

This is a perfect album - the artists perform magnificent vocal and piano harmonies; the musical styles move effortlessly from country, to R&B, to religious, to classical - so that with each hearing the listener is taken on a new and exciting journey. This CD is a timeless, masterpiece - a treasure. It is a tribute to the extraordinary talents of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. April 8, 2004

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