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On February 10, Roberta Flack would have celebrated her 90th birthday. Though Flack passed away in February 2025, the occasion is being marked with a new box set from Rhino. With Her Songs: The Atlantic Albums 1969-1978 brings together the late artist’s first eight studio albums in one compact package. The 8CD set is due on February 6.

With Her Songs kicks off with 1969’s First Take. Upon its expanded release in 2020 – still the only time an album of Flack’s has received a physical expanded edition – TSD wrote, “Recorded in February 1969, the aptly titled First Take introduced the world to Flack’s talents. But it wasn’t until 1972 – after her version of Ewan MacColl’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ was featured in Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me – that the album took off. The song would remain at No. 1 for six weeks and would win a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1973. Though it’s one of Flack’s most famous tracks, ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ is far from the only highlight on First Take. There are also songs written with longtime collaborator Donny Hathaway; a stunning cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye”; and a version of Gene McDaniels’ ‘Compared to What,’ which would become a hit in 1970 by Les McCann and Eddie Harris.” First Take spent five weeks atop the Billboard 200. Producer Joel Dorn returned for 1970’s Chapter Two, teaming with Flack and arranger-conductor Eumir Deodato for another set of strikingly reinvented songs from the likes of Jimmy Webb (“Do What You Gotta Do”), Bob Dylan (“Just Like a Woman”), and even Broadway’s Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh (Man of La Mancha anthem “The Impossible Dream”). McDaniels and Hathaway returned, too, with “Reverend Lee” and “Gone Away,” respectively.

1971’s Quiet Fire earned Flack a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal – Female, and the album continued her intense melding of jazz, soul, and R&B stylings. She and Dorn selected another batch of familiar songs to reinvent (Goffin and King’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” The Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody,” Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Van McCoy’s “Sweet Bitter Love”) alongside a lesser-known Webb gem (“See You Then”) and Flack’s own “Go Up Moses,” co-written with Dorn and The Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Atlantic’s Jerry Wexler encouraged 1972’s duet album Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, sensing that such a collaboration would prove beneficial to both artists’ careers at the label. Hathaway had already supplied songs to First Take and Chapter Two, and played and sang on the latter. Its first single gave Roberta her first appearance on the Hot 100 – a prior track had “bubbled under.” That single was Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” but it was eclipsed on the chart by James Taylor’s version which was released one week earlier and went to No. 1. Still, the Flack/Hathaway rendition became a top ten R&B hit and made it to No. 29 Pop. The second single, a cover of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” also charted on both the R&B and Pop surveys, but the third time was the charm when Atlantic spun off Ralph MacDonald and William Salter’s sleek and silky “Where is the Love” on 45 RPM. It went to No. 5 Pop, No. 1 AC, and No. 1 R&B, and netted the artists a Grammy.

Though Hathaway’s subsequent success was limited – until he reteamed with Flack for 1978’s “The Closer I Get to You” – Flack’s star was on the ascendant. 1973’s Killing Me Softly, remains her most successful album. The double-platinum LP went to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the R&B survey as well as charting internationally. It was anchored, of course, by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel’s Grammy-winning, chart-topping title track; it also featured compositions from Janis Ian (“Jesse”), Gene McDaniels (“River”), and Leonard Cohen (“Suzanne”), among others. Like Hathaway, Flack was accompanied by a Who’s Who of contemporary soul-jazz, including guitarist Eric Gale, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Grady Tate, and percussionist Ralph MacDonald, who co-wrote “No Tears (In the End).” The illustrious likes of Eumir Deodato, Pee Wee Ellis, William Eaton, and Don Sebesky all contributed arrangements, and Killing Me Softly was dedicated to multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Following tensions with Joel Dorn, Flack self-produced her follow-up, 1975’s Feel Like Makin’ Love, and its Gene McDaniels-penned title track shot to No. 1 – Flack’s third time at the peak spot. After its success, Atlantic signed Roberta to what was reportedly the biggest contract ever for a female artist. The label wasn’t happy with the long wait for the album, though, as it didn’t arrive in stores until nearly a year after its title single. Her next LP, Blue Lights in the Basement, took even longer: a full 33 months after the release of Feel Like Makin’ Love. The Hathaway duet on “The Closer I Get to You” took much of the fanfare (No. 1 R&B/No. 2 Pop) but the album, co-produced by the singer with McDaniels and Joe Ferla, had plenty of other top-drawer material on offer including Ron Miller and Michael Masser’s “After You” which had been introduced by Diana Ross, and the Gwen Guthrie co-write “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter.”

With Her Songs concludes with the fraught 1978 LP known simply as Roberta Flack. It was anchored by “You Light Up My Life” songwriter Joe Brooks’ latest film theme, “If Ever I See You Again,” which Flack confessed to loathing. Though it reached No. 1 AC, the lack of success for the movie dragged down the single. The album was rounded out by tracks including two other Brooks compositions as well as an attempt to recapture the magic of “Killing Me Softly,” Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel’s “And the Feeling’s Good.”  A cover of Thom Bell and Linda Creed’s Stylistics hit “You Are Everything” was also released as a single but barely registered.  This box set marks the album’s first U.S. appearance on CD.

Roberta Flack would bounce back with her next album and second to feature Donny Hathaway, who had tragically died in 1979 at the age of 33. The 1982 solo album I’m the One concluded her first stint at Atlantic, though she would return to the label for another three solo albums through 1994 and one duet album with Peabo Bryson. (Their studio collaboration was issued on his label, Capitol.)

With Her Songs: The Atlantic Albums 1969-1978 lacks any bonus tracks despite First Take having had bonus tracks released on CD and both Chapter Two and Quiet Fire having been expanded as digital-only releases. Discs 4-8 have been newly remastered for this collection. Until those bonus tracks (and more) see the light of day in a physical format, With Her Songs is a welcome vault excursion for the late artist as it restores many of these albums to print for the first time in years.  Look for it at the links below on February 6.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Roberta Flack, With Her Songs: The Atlantic Albums 1969-1978 (Atlantic/Rhino, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: First Take (Atlantic SD 8230, 1969)

1. Compared To What
2. Angelitos Negros
3. Our Ages Or Our Hearts
4. I Told Jesus
5. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye
6. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
7. Tryin’ Times
8. Ballad Of The Sad Young Men

CD 2: Chapter Two (Atlantic SD 1569, 1970)

1. Reverend Lee
2. Do What You Gotta Do
3. Just Like A Woman
4. Let It Be Me
5. Gone Away
6. Until It’s Time For You To Go
7. The Impossible Dream
8. Business Goes On As Usual

CD 3: Quiet Fire (Atlantic SD 1594, 1971)

1. Go Up Moses
2. Bridge Over Troubled Water
3. Sunday And Sister Jones
4. See You Then
5. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
6. To Love Somebody
7. Let Them Talk
8. Sweet Bitter Love

CD 4: Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (Atlantic SD 7216, 1972)

1. I (Who Have Nothing)
2. You’ve Got A Friend
3. Baby I Love You
4. Be Real Black For Me
5. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
6. For All We Know
7. Where Is The Love
8. When Love Has Grown
9. Come Ye Disconsolate
10. Mood

CD 5: Killing Me Softly (Atlantic SD 7271, 1973)

1. Killing Me Softly With His Song
2. Jesse
3. No Tears (In The End)
4. I’m The Girl
5. River
6. Conversation Love
7. When You Smile
8. Suzanne

CD 6: Feel Like Makin’ Love (Atlantic SD 18131, 1975)

1. Feelin’ That Glow
2. I Wanted It Too
3. I Can See The Sun In Late December
4. Some Gospel According To Matthew
5. Feel Like Makin’ Love
6. Magic
7. Early Ev’ry Midnite
8. Old Heartbreak Top Ten
9. She’s Not Blind

CD 7: Blue Lights In The Basement (Atlantic SD 19149, 1977)

1. Why Don’t You Move In With Me
2. The Closer I Get To You
3. Fine, Fine Day
4. This Time I’ll Be Sweeter
5. 25th Of Last December
6. After You
7. I’d Like To Be Baby To You
8. Soul Deep
9. Love Is The Healing
10. Where I’ll Find You

CD 8: Roberta Flack (Atlantic SD 19186, 1978)

1. What A Woman Really Means
2. You Are Everything
3. Independent Man
4. If Ever I See You Again
5. And The Feeling’s Good
6. Knowing That We’re Made For Each Other
7. Come Share My Love
8. Baby I Love You So
9. When It’s Over