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Post by KCmusician on Apr 29, 2006 0:06:17 GMT -5
One day a mysterious feeling became clear to me, and it always strikes me this way: Karen's voice combines about 5 personalities all at once. o She sings to you as an intelligent lady of refined culture and great skill; o she also has a hint of 'bad girl' because she's a drummer; o she can reach down and pat you with a mother's soothing voice; o probably her primary ingredient is that of the girl next door, someone a guy could count on as a long-term, supportive friend; o at the same time there's still the spice in her voice of a lover. These qualities meld together in a way that it's difficult to separate out any one personality unless she's emphasizing that character. It's all at once, and that causes her voice to be highly mysterious and magnetic, in my opinion. KC
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Post by makapip on Apr 29, 2006 14:27:21 GMT -5
I agree. and she has an incredible presence like she is right there, especially on "Merry Christamas Darling"
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Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Apr 29, 2006 21:39:01 GMT -5
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Post by smoothie2 on Apr 29, 2006 22:58:32 GMT -5
???Hi KC...great insight...you're very right...she surely was like one of those critters that change colors chameleon. Great presence I agree very much... of course there is also the part of her voice which so adequately evokes great emotion...no matter what the song...but behind the wonderful person she was..there was also the darker side of her life ...sadness, longing for true love, wanting to be independent and live a "normal" life...her voice really evoked those feelings in her sadder songs.
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Post by Rick Henry on Apr 30, 2006 12:07:04 GMT -5
Very interesting KC... I like the "bad girl" part. I have a similar description for Karen. Often times I've called her a semi-tough girl. Just seeing her behind the drums and her tomboyish personality I always thought she was a little on the tough girl side. But at the same point she's soft, tender and very feminine. Karen is such an interesting personality. She is multi-faceted in many areas of her voice and personality.
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Post by GoodOldDreams on Apr 30, 2006 13:04:50 GMT -5
Hi KC,
Great observations. I thought Tim would have gotten you on board here years ago!
Yes, Karen had many dimensions to her voice that allowed her to express emotions effectively in a variety of genres, which contributes to her versatility musically. (Even critics who caricature her as singing either light, happy bubblegum pop fluff or heavy, deep depressive ballads on opposite ends of the spectrum, recognize her uncanny ability to make a huge impact with her voice.)
I think that besides the novelty of her drumming ability when Carpenters started out, Karen's voice on "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (the version on the "Close to You" album) really epitomizes her "bad girl" persona. I love the tough attitude she conveys when she haltingly sings "... DON'T TELL ME WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT..." and how she emphasizes with a sneer "... that is WHYYYY..." and "you get only LIIIIES and pain and sorrow...." Of course, one might empathize with her "bad attitude," given her appropriate take on the bitter, but witty, lyrics on the disillusionment with romantic love....
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Post by Carps1000 on May 1, 2006 11:57:32 GMT -5
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Post by Sammy on May 2, 2006 20:16:21 GMT -5
Welcome KC Karen has a one of a kind voice. No wonder she has gone down in history as one of the great singers of alltime.
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Post by wisejester7 on Sept 8, 2006 23:00:15 GMT -5
KCmusician wrote... " Karen's voice combines about 5 personalities all at once. o She sings to you as an intelligent lady of refined culture and great skill; o she also has a hint of 'bad girl' because she's a drummer; o she can reach down and pat you with a mother's soothing voice; o probably her primary ingredient is that of the girl next door, someone a guy could count on as a long-term, supportive friend; o at the same time there's still the spice in her voice of a lover. These qualities meld together in a way that it's difficult to separate out any one personality unless she's emphasizing that character. It's all at once,..."
This is an interesting observation. I can see you put a lot of thought into trying to decipher what you were hearing in Karen's voice. I think you are right in that you are hearing 'every woman'...the friend, the mother, the lover, the intelligent and cultured lady, and the tomboy/'bad girl'. She had the uncanny ability to be able to tap into these personas interchangeably and all at once, if she so chose to do so.
GoodOldDreams wrote... "Yes, Karen had many dimensions to her voice that allowed her to express emotions effectively in a variety of genres, which contributes to her versatility musically. (Even critics who caricature her as singing either light, happy bubblegum pop fluff or heavy, deep depressive ballads on opposite ends of the spectrum, recognize her uncanny ability to make a huge impact with her voice.)"
Yes, it's true. Karen's voice is pure magic. I believe she could have sung ANY song (short of opera) well. I know she grew into knowing that she could sing. I only wish the she could see the legacy the Carpenters have left for others to follow and admire. No matter how much they were panned for their image you just couldn't deny the pure strength of their combined talents. Karen's and Richard's skills and personalities fit like a well tailored glove to a finely sculpted hand. They blended in amazing ways. Ways that we have come to appreciate even now.
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Post by ps11932 on Sept 9, 2006 14:06:18 GMT -5
I believe KC,s analysis of Karen's voice is very deep and accurate- all the roles mentioned are strongly present. Even non-fans recognize the uniqueness of her voice. To this day she is instantly recognizable to those who heard her during her career. For those younger people hearing her for the first time, there is an excellent chance that this in one voice they will remember. And for many fans, like me, the truth is that once you focused in on her voice, there was no choice- you became a fan. For all the strengths of The Carpentes (variety of music types, instrumentation, arrangement, etc.), there is no doubt that Karen's voice is the feature attraction.
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Post by BethMosior on Sept 9, 2006 17:12:07 GMT -5
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