Following the release of the duo's official biography, Carpenters: The Musical Legacy (which I got for Christmas and highly recommend!) comes Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook.
Performed solo on piano by Richard Carpenter, Richard Carpenter’s Piano Songbook reimagines the Carpenters’ biggest hits and some choice favorites that inspired them. The album includes some of the most beloved melodies of all time such as “Top Of The World" and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” presented in a gloriously relaxing new way.
For the uninitiated, Richard Carpenter is the iconic musician, producer, songwriter and arranger from the Carpenters, the astronomically successful group who have sold more than 90 million albums worldwide. His sister and duo partner, Karen played drums and beautifully sang his pop masterpieces. In 1983, Karen, who was just 32, passed away as the result of an eating disorder, something that most of us had no idea was a thing back then. Thankfully, we have this stellar collection as well as Mike Cidoni Lennox and Chris May's (with hefty contributions from Richard Carpenter) definitive biography to remind us of the duo's musical legacy.