Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Roberta Flack

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Roberta Flack

In my own, personal, big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to Those of the Heart. These are the singers, songwriters and muses who have spent a lifetime capturing various aspects of the human condition. Frequently, due to the whims of the music industry, their lives were not always their own... perhaps they fell out of fashion, but they persevered... ultimately remaining true to their roles as seers of the heart. 

One such soul?

Roberta Flack

With a voice delivered on gossamer wings, she's brought to life many a composition. 

Her style has always been truly unique, possessing the power of a whisper, luring the listener into her very private world.

With integrity and grace she's adapted to many musical styles, while remaining true to herself and managing to populate the charts for three decades. 

It hasn't all been easy. The loss of her duet partner, Donny Hathaway caught her and the world unaware. She grieved. handling it privately, with dignity and soldiered on. 

While others may pay homage to her style, she's truly one of a kind, never to be replicated. Her catalog of recordings a treasure trove to be savored for eternity.

For she is timeless; a quiet fire still burning bright.

The gospel according to her?

Here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic: Music And Responsibility

“Music is an art form that doesn't need to be explained. It needs to be performed; it needs to be felt; it needs to be listened to; it needs to progress.”

“A song to me is a very tangible thing. I can feel it with my hands and see it with my eyes ...”

“Music comes first from my heart, and then goes upstairs to my head where I check it out."

“That's a wonderful thing, because one of the primary qualities of a good performance is honesty.”

“As musicians, and as people who sell material for people to hear and absorb, it's important that we use that voice wisely.”

“My hope is that out of all the anger and seeming hostility that we hear in some of today's music will come some sort of coalition that will become politically involved.”

Ballad Of The Sad Young Men - Roberta Flack

Feel Like Makin' Love - Roberta Flack

Hits Medley/You Make Me Feel Brand New - Roberta Flack

And one last parting shot...

“Getting married is easy. Staying married is more difficult. Staying happily married for a lifetime is among the fine arts.”