Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway

Recensione album

The combination of Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack undeniably ranks atop the all-time great duet parings in the history of R&B. Any opportunity to have one guest on the other's recordings brought out a sensual energy not to be denied, similar to the magnetic duets between Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye for Motown during the '60s. This seven-song session didn't yield any timeless classics à la "The Closer I Get to You," but Flack's distinct and beautiful voice brings a level of class to this outing that few of her contemporaries were able to achieve. Two Stevie Wonder-penned compositions, "You Are My Heaven" and "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long," bring Wonder's unique arrangements together and give this album a more uptempo feel than most of the prior work of Flack and Hathaway, both as solo artists and as a team. Near the end, the album's climatic piece, "Back Together Again," helps to conclude the album on an upbeat note before breaking it down again into a soft, gentle finale of calm, familiar waters. The realization that these tracks are some of the final recordings Hathaway would appear on before his tragic death brings an element of melancholy to the listening experience.