Heaven's Alto Angel
Member
I happened upon a very nice singer tonight. She has a nice quality to her voice with familiar nuances. Maybe she is familiar to some of you?? I think you will enjoy her.
by Emma Gilmour
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Two exciting new Carpenters releases are now available. The new book Carpenters: The Musical Legacy can be ordered here. A big thanks to the authors and Richard Carpenter for their tremendous effort in compiling this book! Also, the new solo piano album Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook is available for ordering here.
Other Female Singers
- Thread starter song4u
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Yes, I know her! I also love her cover of "Make Believe It's Your First Time". But "I Just Fall in Love Again" turned out beautifully too. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
Heaven's Alto Angel
Member
Yes, not only a fine singer but a good piano player. She covers many singers’ material quite well.
I had to smile….. Under one of her ‘Karen Carpenter covers,’ someone complimented her, saying “if they ever do a recent movie of Karen Carpenter, she should be a top contender.” The next comment was from an Emma Gilmour fan who snapped back, “she’s singing her own way, not copying.” And I thought, “actually, nobody sings 'their own way.’ (Unless they grew up in a vacuum) 🤔 Every musician is influenced by others.” Impossible to believe that she was not influenced by Karen Carpenter from hearing her pronunciation of certain words alone. It's a compliment to both of them.
JohnFB
I was born to belong to the lines of a song...
On the previous page I posted the video of Marilyn McCoo singing "If I Could Reach You" - while cruising thru reactions to that video on YT I came across this one by a British guy named Harri (who generally does a good, informed job with his reactions - and is a BIG fan of Carpenters) - he has the same thoughts as me about who should have been, or could have been, singing this sadly beautiful song...
Heaven's Alto Angel
Member
As a child, while getting ready to leave for school every morning, my parents always had the radio on and I heard The 5th Dimension playing their many hits. I felt they were very special at the time. 15 years later I had to pleasure of playing with them as a side-man. I remember it being a surreal experience reading the exact charts I had heard. A beautiful memory. Such talented singers!
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Mark-T
Well-Known Member
Please tell me they all were as nice as they seem to be.
Heaven's Alto Angel
Member
I’m sorry to say, I don’t really remember much about it as it was in the mid-80s. They were hired by a big corporation ($$$$) for the show. We had a very short rehearsal without them (led by their director) so I didn’t even see them until they did the show but it was obvious that they were not only very professional but super nice people. I don’t think one could sing with that kind of warmth and not have a very big heart! As I say, it was like a dream for me; I was quite "star-struck."
lol Forgot to mention...... no, I did not know them at all because it was a "one night stand." I did a lot of "one night stands" in ballrooms for convention groups. But, The 5th Dimension was a very personal experience because of my childhood memories.
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GDBY2LV
Well-Known Member
I saw them in the late 80’s with the 2 new singers that replaced McCoo and Davis. It was at the show called “Splash” that had all kinds of acrobatics, water show, and motorcycles riding in a huge globe. The featured entertainers changes every 2 weeks, but the show stayed the same otherwise. They sang between set changes, and were excellent. My boss and I had gone to the CES Show in early January. Fortunately for us, his son was the 5th Dimension’s manager at the time. We got to sit in a booth right in front. Florence LaRue had taken over all the lead vocals.
JohnFB
I was born to belong to the lines of a song...
We've heard her here before but a singer of this caliber deserves a revisit, if only to show that she wasn't all soft, easy, lucious ballads, but could kick ass with the best of them on those brilliant uptempo Big Band arrangements of the Standards - this one by the legendary Benny Carter...
Q1: how much of an influence was Jo on Karen's singing style (she must have listened to her a lot growing up)?
Q2: if male singers of that era were known as "crooners" what were the women known as - "songstresses"? "songbirds"?
Q1: how much of an influence was Jo on Karen's singing style (she must have listened to her a lot growing up)?
Q2: if male singers of that era were known as "crooners" what were the women known as - "songstresses"? "songbirds"?
Nemily
Active Member
When I think of singers who may have influenced Karen, one may have been Skeeter Davis, who was a country singer and writer who later in her career, sang crossover pop music songs. Davis had top of the chart songs playing on the radio in the early 1960’s. Skeeter Davis’ career began in 1953 when she was part of a Duo “The Davis Sisters” (not actually related). They had the breakout hit “I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know (About Him)”. Skeeter’s ability to harmonize was demonstrated early on at school and at her local church. Sadly, after a horrifically tragic car accident, Skeeter would later go on to become an ‘accidental’ soloist of the late 50s and then 60s. Davis had a big hit which was released at the end of 1962 and peaked in March 1963, ‘End of the World’, when Karen was 13 years of age. As the story goes, Karen loved this song. In an interview with Wall Street Journal in 2019, Richard says that this is the first song Karen ever tried to sing. Skeeter’s original version peeked at #2 in the US and #18 in the UK. Carpenters would of course would later perform this song in their ‘oldies medley’ stage act and also record their version on their ‘Now and Then’ album in 1973 (A&M Studio B). Carpenters never released this song as a single. Skeeter’s emotive EOTW is timeless. Karen’s recorded vocal on EOTW is flawless. She gets quite low, sustaining an E3 on the distinctive last notes when she sings goodbye. Carpenters would pull off country crossovers exceptionally well on 7 (arguably 9) of their studio albums. In 1964, Skeeter Davis had another hit “I Can’t Stay Mad At You” written by A&M great Carole King, and from what I understand there is a Carpenters out-take of this song somewhere that never made it to the AKOH album.
Nemily
Active Member
Q1: If Harold Carpenter had it, I would imagine so! I do know that Jo Stafford did the original Jambalaya released in 1952 and it was a pretty big hit for her. Maybe this is where Carpenters got the idea to record it? Of course I prefer Carpenters version
Q2: Yes-women can croon! In that era, Judy Garland, Dianna Krall and Sarah Vaughn were all capable of crooning. Crooning is basically singing singing something softy and quietly in an intimate or a sentimental manner with amplification. The other you mention, yes @JohnFB songbirds, I heard that before
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
As I listened to this I was wondering how Karen’s more powerful vocal in the second chorus would mesh with the delicate piano, but the vocal from the first chorus has been cut and spliced in instead and the key change is lost - ruining the effect of the song.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
It must drive Richard half insane hearing songs like this ^^^
Walkinat9
Well-Known Member
Great voice indeed! I love that one photo (at 01:46) of Patti as a child with another great female vocalist, Dinah Washington 🤩
"Baby, come to me" has always been my favorite Patti Austin song. Here's an appearance (with James Ingram) on the Dutch TopPop show. I must say though that I liked the setting better when Karen & Richard were there 2 years earlier, taping "Touch me when we're dancing"
Also, to my ears, that song is in a similar style as this KC song, which predates Baby Come To Me. It's definitely my favorite from the solo album and I still believe it would have been a big hit, if released as a single. Oh well, both songs written by Rod Temperton 👌
Here's another Patti Austin favorite of mine (it's not just all about ballads
)
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JohnFB
I was born to belong to the lines of a song...
@Walkinat9 - there is no doubt in my mind that "If We Try" is the best song on the Solo Album - and one of my favorites by her ever - Smooth Jazz legend Bob James should have produced that album, and should have been her musical advisor/director from then on...it's the direction she should have been headed -
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
Chris
Well-Known Member
Love those Patti Austin songs. She's such a great talent and it seems she never quite gets the credit or attention she deserves in the world of female vocalists. Such a smooth, yet powerful voice.
Here's another favorite. As you all said, I too wish that Karen would've had the opportunity to go further into the smooth jazz type songs.
Here's another favorite. As you all said, I too wish that Karen would've had the opportunity to go further into the smooth jazz type songs.
Another Son
Well-Known Member
Has anyone posted anything by Elkie Brooks before?
Elkie recorded with A&M for a while. Here's her version of 'Superstar', which was released on her A&M album, 'Pearls', and on a single, in 1981.
'Pearls' contained remakes of tracks which Elkie felt were influential, as the title of the album suggests.
Elkie recorded with A&M for a while. Here's her version of 'Superstar', which was released on her A&M album, 'Pearls', and on a single, in 1981.
'Pearls' contained remakes of tracks which Elkie felt were influential, as the title of the album suggests.
Murray
Well-Known Member
So many of us have remarked, over the years, about the "chill factor" that we experience when listening to Karen sing. I'm not certain what it is exactly, perhaps certain frequencies stimulate our nervous systems, or certain lyrics cause an emotional response? Of all the Carpenters recordings, I get the biggest "chills" from "You're the One". This phenomena of experiencing chills is, for me anyway, not only limited to the Carpenters catalogue. Some other songs that have that "chill factor" for me, include Melissa Manchester's recording of " Through The Eyes of Love (Theme from Ice Castles)", Celine Dion's "The Colour of My Love", Agnetha Faltskog's "Maybe It Was Magic", and this song from German singer Vanessa Mai, "In all deinen Farben" ...
What songs by female singers, other than Karen Carpenter, give you "chills"?
What songs by female singers, other than Karen Carpenter, give you "chills"?
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
This reminded me of the other beautiful ballad which closed that album, “If You Need Somebody Tonight”. After the instrumental break and key change, Agnetha sings “ If you want a love that is strong”…there’s an audible breath that to this day gives me goosebumps.
And speaking of Melissa Manchester, does anyone remember this series? She sang the theme tune.
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