Roberta Flack Softly With These Songs:The Best Of CD

Personnel: Roberta Flack (vocals, piano), George Wadenius (guitar, background vocals), John Pizzarelli, Eric Gale, Paul Jackson, Jr., Mike Landau (guitar), Andy Snitzer (tenor saxophone), Dan Higgins (saxophone), Jerry Hey (trumpet), Richard Tee (piano), Randy Kerber (piano, synthesizers), Barry Miles, Joe Mardin (keyboards, synthesizers, programming), Robbie Kondor, Keith "Plex" Barnhart (keyboards, programming), Ed Walsh, Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), Craig Huntley, Larry Williams (synthesizer), Jack Jennings (vibraphone), Marcus Miller (bass, keyboards, background vocals), Chuck Rainey, Neil Steubenhaus, Nathan East (bass), Buddy Williams (drums, background vocals), Ray Lucas, Bernard Purdie, Jim Keltner, Carlos Vega, John Robinson (drums), Ralph McDonald, Errol "Crusher" Bennett, Steve Thornton, Mike Fisher (percussion), Jason Miles (synthesizer programming), Sammy Merendino (drum programming).
Background vocalists: Yvonne Lewis, Brenda White-King, Lani Groves, Chude Mondlane, Dennis Collins, Mark Stephens, Phil Perry, Gabrielle Goodman, Jerry Barnes, Katreese Barnes, Rachele Cappelli, Reggie Griffin, Cindy Mizelle.
Additional guest artists: Earl Klugh (acoustic guitar), Lee Ritenour (guitar), David Sanborn (alto saxophone), Burt Bacharach (synthesizer), Paulhino Da Costa (percussion), Luther Vandross (background vocals).
Producers: Joel Dorn, Arif Mardin, Rubina Flake, Joe Ferla, Eugene McDaniels, Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson, Eric Mercury, Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager, Michael Masser, Marcus Miller, Jerry Hey & Barry Miles.
Digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt (Ocean View Digital).
Personnel: Roberta Flack (background vocals); Brenda White, Luther Vandross, Peabo Bryson, Yvonne Lewis (vocals); Eric Gale, George Wadenius, John Pizzarelli, Lee Ritenour , Paul Jackson (guitar); Earl Klugh (acoustic guitar); David Sanborn (alto saxophone); Richard Tee, Randy Kerber (piano); Donny Hathaway (electric piano); Barry Miles (keyboards); Craig Huntley, Jason Miles, Burt Bacharach (synthesizer); Ed Walsh (Oberheim synthesizer); Jack Jennings (vibraharp); Chuck Rainey, Neil Steubenhaus, Nathan East, Ron Carter (bass instrument); Jim Keltner, Ray Lucas, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Buddy Williams , Carlos Vega (drums); Ralph MacDonal, Crusher Bennett, Mike Fisher , Paulinho Da Costa, Steve Thornton (percussion); Brenda White-King, Chude Mondlane, Dennis Collins, Lani Groves, Marcus Miller, Mark Stephens (background vocals).
Roberta Flack was blessed with one of the loveliest, most soothing voices in the music industry. In the 1970s, she not only appealed to pop and R&B audiences, but also fit in with the era's more serious, sensitive singer/songwriters. She scored some of the decade's biggest hits with classics such as "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly with His Song," and "Feel Like Making Love," as well as her legendary duets with Donny Hathaway, all which have gone on to become standards in the pop pantheon. This single-disc set attempts to collect her best and most successful recordings from the 1970s to the 1990s, when she enjoyed the success of another Top Ten hit with Diane Warren's "Set the Night to Music" (with Maxi Priest). However, this ambitious collection, even with such stellar material, proves a little frustrating due to the omission of several key tracks from Flack's catalog, among those "Jesse," "If I Ever See You Again," "You've Got a Friend," and several others. It does, however, manage to incorporate other Flack collectibles, including her soundtrack hit "Making Love," her hit with Peabo Bryson, "Tonight I Celebrate My Love," her lovely, breezy, chart-topping 1988 R&B hit "Oasis," and a sleek 1990s house track, "Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes)." This ambitious yet frustrating collection not only highlights Flack's long, illustrious career, but also brings to attention the fact that a multi-disc retrospective on this legendary singer would be a most welcome additio