Golden block letters spelling “BLUES & SOUL” crown this striking cover, an “International Music Review” issue dated July 28–August 10, 1972. Along the left margin, a roster of featured artists—Luther Ingram, The Midnight Movers, Roberta Flack, Esther Phillips, Della Reese, The Impressions (Live!), and Grover Washington Jr. & Little Royal—signals a moment when soul, blues, and jazz currents were colliding on stage and on record. Even the small-print pricing and issue number add to the period feel, anchoring the image firmly in early-1970s music journalism.
Roberta Flack appears in profile at the piano, leaning toward a microphone with the focused calm of a live performance. The intimate angle emphasizes hands on keys, the soft fall of clothing, and the silhouette of a full, natural hairstyle—details that make the scene feel less like posed publicity and more like an artist mid-song. A dark background and stage equipment keep attention on the act of singing and playing, turning the cover art into a snapshot of craft rather than spectacle.
For collectors and historians of classic soul, this magazine cover works as both memorabilia and a doorway into the era’s conversation about Black music. It’s also a useful visual reference for anyone researching Blues & Soul magazine, 1970s concert culture, and Roberta Flack’s prominence in print at the time. Posted here as cover art, the image invites a closer look at how music publications framed performers and scenes when the sound of the decade was still being written.