SACD Roberta Flack – Killing Me Softly

Killing Me Softly as a hybrid stereo SACD from the Atlantic 75 Series: Roberta Flack’s 1973 album with all eight songs in one continuous sequence – from the famous title song to her almost ten-minute reading of Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne”.

A song heard in the air

Roberta Flack first met “Killing Me Softly with His Song” as a listener. As she remembered it, she heard Lori Lieberman’s recording on an in-flight entertainment programme in 1972 – and knew at once that she wanted to sing it herself. The decisive step came at the piano: Flack changed harmonic details and turned the song she had heard into an interpretation entirely her own.

Released in 1973, Killing Me Softly reaches far beyond its famous opener. Working over a long period with producer Joel Dorn, Flack built a programme that brings together soul, songwriter material and her background as a classically trained pianist. The album is dedicated to the multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

A voice that shapes the room

In the title song, listen to the transitions between the lines: where does Flack hold on to a syllable, and where does she begin the next thought a little early? Her way with the harmony changes how the familiar melody lands. The apparent ease of the recording rests on precise decisions about chords, tempo and the weight each word receives.

The musicians around her include Ron Carter, Grady Tate, Ralph MacDonald and Eric Gale. Their accompaniment rarely pushes into the foreground, yet it steers every song. Listen for the small answers behind the voice and for the way they carry a phrase onward.

From Janis Ian to Leonard Cohen

Janis Ian’s “Jesse” offers a different kind of intimacy: words addressed to someone who is absent. Gene McDaniels’ “River” takes the repertoire in yet another direction. Flack treats each of these songs as its own story; the album title ties them together without forcing them into a single mood.

Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” comes last. Flack’s version runs for almost ten minutes – a long, self-contained ending after seven more compact songs. That finale alone is a wonderful reason to hear the whole album rather than meeting it only through its hit.

The Atlantic 75 hybrid stereo SACD

CAPA 054 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the eight songs of the original album, from “Killing Me Softly With His Song” to “Suzanne”.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.

More from the series: Atlantic 75 Series

Also in another edition: Killing Me Softly

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.