The Carpenters

When you look and hear at the female singers in current pop, Karen Carpenter's vocal prowess becomes even more amazing. Current singers ape Mariah Carey...hand waving, trilling, octave jumping...a mess. Karen Carpenter just sang the song, and sang it well. Her brother was a brilliant arranger, and those harmonies they built were amazing.

Clip number one is from 1971. Live on the BBC doing "Close To You" and "We've Only Just Begun".

Clip number two is a live "Yesterday Once More". Karen looks particularly lovely in this video.