Carpenters

The Profile

American sibling duo Karen and Richard Carpenter, known for melodic soft-pop, Karen’s distinctive voice, and Richard’s arrangements; most active from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.

Karen Carpenter (1950–1983) was the lead vocalist and drummer; Richard Carpenter (born 1946) arranged and produced many of their recordings. Karen died in 1983 from complications related to anorexia nervosa.

The supplied review praises the single “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and Karen Carpenter’s plain, affecting singing while finding much of the rest of the 1970 album overly sweet and tiring. It highlights Richard Carpenter’s heavy arrangements and vocal overdubs. The review also notes Karen Carpenter’s 1983 death from anorexia nervosa.