Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Horizon" a true masterpiece, March 11, 2005
"Horizon" is easily the Carpenters most technically advanced album musically and Karen's most alarmingly intense vocal work of her entire career. The album contains three great hits "Please Mr. Postman","Solitaire" and fan favorite "Only Yesterday". Yet there are many other wonderful songs.
"I Can Dream Can't I" is an excellent big band song which remains true to the style of the 1940's with the technology of the 1970's and is arranged by veteran Billy May.
The Carpenters' rendition of the Eagles' "Desperado" is absolutely mind blowing. Karen's vocal on this song is chillingly dark and soulful. And Tommy Morgan's harmoica adds a mystique to the song.
"(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye And I Love You" is a country flavored bittersweet song which in it's simplicity is absolutely effective in showcasing Karen's soulful yearning.
"Love Me For What I Am" is one of the Carpenters finest power pop ballads with electric guitar and stirring lyrics. The message in this song is strong and is delivered by a impeccably by Karen.
"Happy" is highlight of this album. It's a great upbeat song with some sythesizer effects toward the end which give this song an otherworldly appeal. Carpenters guitarist extraordinaire Tony Peluso wrote this song and of course contributes all the guitar parts including a great guitar solo.
This album moved along seemlessly from one great song to the next. Every song on this album is outstanding.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When every bit of hope is gone, sad songs say so much, June 2, 2005
Even though I consider HORIZON to be a solid, unforgettable Carpenters' album, I hardly ever listen to it, not because I don't like it, but because this album is often painful emotionally. With the exception of the breezy, (almost) happy "Please Mr. Postman" most of the songs attack your heart and leave you incredibly sad. Part of that, of course, has to do with Karen Carpenter's tragic death and the temptation to "read" into the feelings we think she must have been experiencing during her struggle with anorexia nervosa. The gloomy cover (perhaps a response to criticism of their previously "cheesy" album photos) certainly doesn't help.
"Love Me for What I Am" can especially pull at the listener because it eerily echoes what many women with eating disorders go through: a non-verbal plea to be accepted and loved for who they want to be, not who they SHOULD be. I am probably guilty of reading WAY TOO much into this track, but I can't shake the idea that this song resonated with Karen more than some of the other ones. "Solitaire," while an incredibly beautiful song, doesn't share the same intensity. I remember reading years ago that Karen didn't particularly care for this Neil Sedaka-penned song.
The sadness also seeps into songs you would think would be perkier ("Happy" and "Only Yesterday" are both supposed to be about the transformation of successful love yet hang wearily in the air.) One of the great things about Karen's voice was how it automatically lent dignity to even the most silly of songs (this applies to later albums such as "Made in America" and "Voice of the Heart"). Her great legacy includes the talent she had for giving layer (and sometimes irony) to each song she recorded. No other Carpenters album illustrates just how great and mature Karen was as a vocalist AND that, given more time and credit from harsh critics, she would have been known more for being a classy, first-rate singer than for being the victim of a devastating disease.
(sidenote: Personal favorites of mine include the delightfully pensive "I Can Dream, Can't I?" and the touching, sincere cover of "Desperado.")
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece, April 4, 1999
By A Customer
After a break from recording in 1974, Karen and Richard returned to the studio for their 6th studio album with new material. Opening with the simple "Aurora", this album takes you on a journey through several wonderful songs. "Only Yesterday", the group's #4 and last top ten hit, is clearly the standout song, although the group's reading of the Eagles' "Desperado" deserves to be heard, along with their #1 smash, "Please Mr. Postman." "I Can Dream, Can't I" is pretty, but seems to drag. The single, "Solitaire", is one of the group's most "welldone" songs, blending Karen's longing voice to a great lyric and enhancing strings. "Solitaire" went to #17 on the charts. "Happy" is a good little tune, and so is "Goodbye and I Love You," but clearly, the most underrated song on this album is "Love Me for What I Am." This song rocks! From start to finish, this album is breathtaking, and it is one superb journey through several notable songs.
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