readings are so careful and classical that sometimes the emotions behind them become muted. Only on "Where I'll Find You" and the jazzy, cabaret-style "I'd Like to Be Baby to You" does she loosen up and take a few risks with her phrasing. Too often, her absolutely pure control diminishes the romanticism implicit in her material, and occasionally she makes love sound more logical than it has any right to be. The production job, too, has a kind of slickness that intermittently creates the same reductive effect.

Still, these are minor quibbles. Basement's high points—the two aforementioned songs and "Why Don't You Move in with Me"—are close to flawless, and only "Soul Deep," which unfortunately suggests an attempt to imitate Linda Ronstadt's version of "Heat Wave," really fails. Overall, there's a nice sophistication in the choice of material here: the love songs are neither cloying nor condescending. That alone is a worthy accomplishment, and Roberta Flack does it full justice. (RS 261)

TOM CARSON