First Take

First Take is Roberta Flack's 1969 debut album that blends soul and vocal jazz with folk and pop inflections. The record features spare, piano-centered arrangements and a restrained, expressive vocal approach that foregrounds lyrical nuance and phrasing. Its intimate, slow-tempo interpretations, including an early version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", helped define Flack's signature sound as an interpreter of songs.