Review Summary: Karen's voice may just be the single loveliest thing you'll ever hear.
In retrospect, the odds seemed to be stacked against
Close to You from the very start. After the disappointment of their debut album
Ticket to Ride,
Close to You was rushed into production after the unexpected success of its title song, only to be quickly lambasted by music critics for being shallow and saccharine. Furthermore, The Carpenters themselves were the subject of scrutiny; they were a pop group at a time when rock music was arguably at its peak and were thus seen largely as "uncool", not helped by their "squeaky-clean" brother-sister image enforced by A&M. Despite the hindrances, though,
Close to You was a commercial success - and deservedly so.
Close to You is by far The Carpenters' strongest and most enjoyable album. While later Carpenters' records would go on to offer little more than their singles,
Close to You benefits from having album tracks which in most cases are as strong (or in some cases, more strong) than the lead singles, and as a result it is one of the most consistent albums in the Carpenters' discography. It benefits greatly from the chemistry between the brother-sister duo, with Richard - as a skilled composer - often arranging songs so as to bring out the very best of Karen's intimate voice.
Anyone with even a vague knowledge of The Carpenters will know that Karen's angelic voice was what elevated the duo above their contemporaries, and it really is the clear highlight throughout here. Every aspect of her voice is pristine: her lovely tone, her silky lower register, her beautiful vibrato, her nuances - songs like "(They Long to Be) Close to You" would've sounded unremarkable in the hands of a lesser singer, but Karen's soft vocal approach distinguish it as one of the album's highlights. Her vocal work isn't just limited to her lead vocal lines, either, as her seamless layers of complex vocal harmony are also noticeable on songs like the vibrant "I'll Never Fall in Love Again".
Of course, that isn't to say that Karen was the only reason for the album's success, as
Close to You also serves as a nice showcase of Richard's arrangements and original compositions. "Mr. Guder", one of Richard's own songs, is another superb display of the group's chemistry, opening and ending with masterful mixing of Richard and Karen's voices on top of one of Richard's signature keyboard accompaniments. Closing track "Another Song" also stands out as it is completely different from anything else on the album; though it starts off sounding fairly similar to the previous tracks, the tempo is soon kicked up a notch for one of the most vivacious songs on the album, noticeable for the intricate vocal interplay between Karen and Richard. The song really starts to take shape in the second half, though, shifting into an almost two and a half minute purely instrumental jazz section. It's far more experimental and lively than anything else on the album, and it's a welcome change to the album's previous, more mellow songs.
That's not to say the album's completely flawless, however. Despite
Close to You being The Carpenters' most cohesive album, as a pop album it is still based largely around its singles, and as a result the album tracks here are unfortunately somewhat inconsistent. While songs like "Crescent Noon" are perfect showcases of Karen's vocal purity and Richard's songwriting, penultimate song "I Kept On Loving You" is comparatively a thoroughly forgettable filler track. This is the only track where Richard takes the lead vocal, and it's very evident why he didn't sing lead more often - his voice is clearly nowhere near as confident, emotive or distinctive as Karen's. "Help" is another weak point - it's a Beatles cover which doesn't really improve on the original at all, with Karen's naturally rich voice sounding somewhat out-of-place on the relatively fast track.
While
Close to You may not do much to prevent The Carpenters from being perennially pigeonholed as a bland pop act, what it does do is illustrate is that underneath their clean-cut image and cheesy lyrics, the duo had some genuine musical talent. With Karen's sublime voice and Richard's virtuosic arrangements,
Close to You is a very solid '70s pop album, and though the album may be sappy even on the stronger tracks, it is still a great demonstration as why The Carpenters' success should've been no mystery to critics; their music was simple and thoroughly enjoyable, and one could've ask for little more from a mainstream pop record at the time.
