An artist must be relaxed and free of tension in order to record properly. -Roberta Flack, back cover of Chapter Two
My first ever AOTW post (over three years ago now) covered Flack's Feel Like Makin' Love, a 1975 album that diverted from her earlier piano ballad style in favor of keyboards. But on Chapter Two, her sound was still relatively spare. Though not as popular as her debut First Take, Chapter Two is far from a sophomore slump.
We begin with "Reverend Lee", a great tale of lust and faith. "Do What You Gotta Do" will sound familiar to fans of Kanye's "Famous", in which Rihanna sings the vocal part (West originally sampled Nina Simone's version). "Let It Be Me" is so tender, it's like The Everly Brothers' version in slo-mo.
T.I.'s mammoth single "What You Know" samples this version of "Gone Away", and listening to this album illustrates how brilliant Toomp's sample is: he turned something wistful, almost mournful into an absolutely triumphant beat. Flack's track itself wows in its graceful, beautiful buildup and release. The album should seemingly end with the climactic "The Impossible Dream", but instead it finishes with the ominous war commentary "Business Goes on as Usual". "Business Goes on as Usual" reminds me of Nico's best work: its military march has an unsettling quality to it, and the spare arrangement allows the voice to take center stage. You can hear Flack breathing.
Chapter Two is ultimately a great showcase in Flack's taste and form. She takes pop and folk songs (boy, Dylan was everywhere at this time) and makes them her own.
Listen to Chapter Two here.
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