Artist:Roberta Flack f/Maxi Priest
Song:Set the Night to Music
Album:Softly with These Songs: The Best of Roberta Flack
Set the Night to Music was a top ten hit in 1991. It was Roberta Flack's final top ten hit and her first since 1977. Back then Roberta scored several top ten hits including a couple with the late great Donny Hathaway. After Hathaway's 1979 death form suicide, Roberta was devastated and the 1980 album Roberta Flack featuring Donny Hathaway was released as a tribute. Eric Mercury worked on that album and then recorded a couple of duets with Roberta. Then Roberta released a 1980 live album with Peabo Bryson. That album was successful enough that she recorded the 1983 album Born to Love with Bryson. That album was certified Gold and the single Tonight, I Celebrate My Love reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by a 1985 album that Roberta recorded with producer Ahmet Ertegun that was never released. After the failure of the 1988 album Oasis, Arif Mardin took over and produced the 1991 album Set the Night to Music. The title song was a duet with Maxi Priest who was pretty hot at the time. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Diane Warren and recorded by Starship on their 1987 album No Protection. It appeared in the 1988 film Vice Versa and released as a single. It was not a hit. The album Set the Night to Music didn't sell that well. So I think Priest is what made the single a hit on the radio. You can get it on this 1993 budget comp. Roberta left Atlantic after the 1994 album Roberta which was an album of standards. She continued to tour until she was diagnosed with ALS and couldn't sing anymore. She retired in 2022 and died on Feb. 24, 2025 at age 88. Here's the video of Set the Night to Music by Roberta Flack featuring Maxi Priest.
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