Quiet Fire (Roberta Flack album)

This article is about the album by Roberta Flack. For the album by George Cables, see Quiet Fire (George Cables album).
Quiet Fire
Studio album by
Roberta Flack
ReleasedNovember 1971
Studio
Genre
Length41:37
LabelAtlantic
ProducerJoel Dorn
Roberta Flack chronology
Chapter Two
(1970) 		Quiet Fire
(1971) 		Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
(1972)
Singles from Quiet Fire
  1. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"/"Go Up Moses"
    Released: December 7, 1971

Quiet Fire is the third studio album by American singer Roberta Flack, released in November 1971 by Atlantic Records.[1] It was recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, Regent Studios, and The Hit Factory in New York City.[2] The album peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape, and its single "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" charted at number 76 on the Hot 100.[3] At the 15th Annual Grammy Awards, the album secured Roberta Flack a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauC[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave Quiet Fire a C rating, writing that Flack occasionally "sounds kind, intelligent, and very likable, but she often exhibits the gratuitous gentility you'd expect of anyone who said 'between you and I'."[4] In a retrospective review, The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992) gave it two out of five stars and claimed it "barely sparks at all."[5] AllMusic's Stephen Cook was more enthusiastic, giving it four-and-a-half out of five stars and calling it "one of Flack's best." He believed its "varied mix all comes off sounding seamless." while writing: "Forgoing the full-throttled delivery of, say, Aretha Franklin, Flack translates the pathos of gospel expression into measured intensity and sighing, elongated phrases."[1]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Joel Dorn.

Quiet Fire track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Go up Moses"
5:20
2."Bridge over Troubled Water"Paul Simon7:13
3."Sunday and Sister Jones"Gene McDaniels4:48
4."See You Then"Jimmy Webb3:40
5."Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"
3:59
6."To Love Somebody"
6:41
7."Let Them Talk"Sonny Thompson3:50
8."Sweet Bitter Love"Van McCoy6:06
Total length:41:37

Personnel

Performers and musicians

Technical

  • Rod Bristow – photography
  • Deodato – horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Joel Dorn – producer
  • William Eaton – horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Ira Friedlander – cover design
  • Lewis Hahn – engineer
  • Bruce Tergesen – engineer

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Quiet Fire
Chart (1971) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[3] 18
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[6] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[7] 4

Certifications

Certifications for Quiet Fire
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Cook, Stephen. "Quiet Fire - Roberta Flack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  2. ^ "Roberta Flack - Quiet Fire CD Album". CD Universe. Muze. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Roberta Flack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (January 20, 1972). "Consumer Guide (23)". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Anthony DeCurtis, James Henke, Holly George-Warren (October 27, 1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. p. 248. ISBN 0679737294.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Roberta Flack Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  7. ^ "Roberta Flack Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  8. ^ "American album certifications – Roberta Flack – Quiet Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 2, 2024.