The Inevitable Post: The One About Karen Carpenter

Just ask my family. This post was inevitable.

Karen Carpenter lives on. Count me in with millions of other fans.

This woman could sing. No theatrics, no gimmics, no "special work" in the studio to enhance her voice. Her brother Richard's terrific arrangements and songwriting teamed with this voice and produced some timeless classics. "Close to You", "Yesterday Once More", "Top of the World", "Superstar", "Rainy Days and Mondays", and the wedding song for a generation, "We've Only Just Begun". (Go ahead, you can sing along.)

Dozens of hits all over the world. Don't stop at the hits, and you'll find the definitive versions of some other songs you know- great songs covered by other artists after the Carpenters introduced them: "This Masquerade", "A Song for You", "I Just Fall in Love Again". Sure they did their share of covers, and "Desperado" on the Horizon album is among their best, but Karen and Richard crafted a legacy by being original.

Go deeper into their catalogue and discover the bluesiest classic you've never heard: "Ordinary Fool", a Paul Williams penned ode to lost hope with one of the best saxophone solos ever put to record. Check it out here.