

When she sings "so much of life ahead" the word life doesnt depict hope as much as uncertainty. It makes a word that is associated with happiness have an underlying sadness to it. In "Weve Only Just Begun" the word smile gets one of those little cracks. Thirdly, Karen used purposeful breaks in her vocals that juxtapostioned the happy with the sad. A type of singing in women you dont hear too often and certainly not to the effect that Karen did it. Yet, when we listen to her sing, the chills dont come during the higher parts but during the lower register singing in which she can focus and point tone and dynamics that cut right through you. Karen was an alto though she had a pretty strong higher register also. Secondly, many female singers (especially in the last 25 yrs) emphasize the upper register for emotional impact. Which shows just how strong her voice really was. There doesnt seem to be a lot of double tracking to her vocals. When listening to these clips I started what things Karens voice did that was a bit different than other voices. The listener gets the sense that shes right there rocking you to calm comfort. In a basic sense it simply comes down to her voice seems envelop the listener with a warmth thats hard to describe and a richness in tone that defines pleading heartache within a smile. Listening to these clips in the dark last night I started thinking what it is that makes her voice so special and appealing to many. Not that her vocals really need to be isolated in order for them to stand out. Or nearly isolated, as there are drums and bass present.

Surfing youtube I ran across a few clips of Karen's vocals isolated. Even folks who dont appreciate The Carpenters music and think of it as light weight sap usually have to at least admit Karen had an incredibly infectious uniquely rich voice. "For those who enjoy The Carpenters the obvious reason is Karen Carpenter's vocals.

Her vocals are hard to describe.īack 2016 on a Karen Carpenter vocal isolation thread I attempted to describe her voice and what makes that beautiful instrument special. Click to expand.Of course you are correct.
