Cannonball with Wesley Morris The Sexy, Multi-Dimensional Genius of Roberta Flack
Jan 1, 2026
Daphne A. Brooks, a Yale scholar specializing in Black music and feminist sound, joins to explore the legacy of Roberta Flack. They reminisce about Flack's profound impact, from her ethereal delivery in 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' to her powerful duet with Donny Hathaway. Brooks connects Flack's quietness to Black resistance, emphasizing how her music shaped cultural memory and personal identity. The duo also reflects on Flack’s enduring relevance and her exclusion from music canons, asserting her rightful place in popular culture.
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Quiet As A Musical Strategy
- Roberta Flack used silence and rests as a central musical tool to create emotional intensity and invitation.
- Wesley Morris argues that her restraint lets listeners "hear herself think" and amplifies meaning in her performances.
Childhood Soundtrack In The Bay Area
- Daphne A. Brooks recalls Roberta Flack as constant atmosphere in her San Francisco childhood, heard on KSOL and on Soul Train.
- She remembers "Killing Me Softly" as shocking for a child because a Black woman used words like killing and pain in pop music.
Black Love As Cosmic Scale
- "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" reframes Black love on a cosmic scale, making intimate affection feel universal.
- Brooks and Morris note Roberta's rendition transforms a British song into Black love rendered as cosmic and resilient.