Karen Carpenter

Though completed in 1980, this solo set didn't get released until '96. It's odd that producer Phil Ramone tried to bury Carpenter's pristine voice in upbeat disco arrangements that include excessive popping bass guitars. Still, nothing could completely submerge Carpenter's talent; "If I Had You" and "I Guess I Just Lost My Head" alone make this worthwhile.

When I was growing up in the South, in the late 1970s, there was no such thing as
postmodern irony. Pop culture was held close in a hungry embrace, not at arm's length.
Kiss, disco and the Carpenters were the embodiment of both fantasy and reality. When
Karen Carpenter sang, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down," I turned up the
volume out of identification, not bemused detachment. Karen Carpenter was the... More >