Quiet, Stormless Flack

** 1/2ROBERTA FLACK, “Oasis,” Atlantic. Flack’s first solo album in six years has the same mellow, classy sound that characterized her hits in the ‘70s. But the veteran singer no longer has the field of upscale pop/soul/jazz all to herself as she did 15 years ago. These days, she has to compete for songs and audience loyalties with such stars as Anita Baker, Sade and Whitney Houston. To regain her throne Flack desperately needs another classic like “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” but most of the tunes here are just so-so.

The title track has a bit of the island-flavored party tempo of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long,” but the ballads are uneven: “And So It Goes” exudes a quiet intelligence, but too many others are listless and soporific. Flack’s understated approach has long epitomized the “quiet storm” school of R&B.; The Grammy winner has the “quiet” part down pat, but next time needs to stir up more of a storm.