Voice of the Heart

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For the Diana Ross song, see Take Me Higher.
Voice of the Heart
A&M (Los Angeles)
  • Capitol (Hollywood)
    • GenrePop
    Length40:24
    LabelA&M
    ProducerRichard Carpenter
    Carpenters chronology
    Made in America

    (1981)     		Voice of the Heart
    (1983)     		An Old-Fashioned Christmas
    (1984)
    Singles from Voice of the Heart
    Professional ratings
    Review scores
    SourceRating
    AllMusic[1]
    The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]

    Voice of the Heart is the eleventh studio album by American music duo Carpenters, released on October 18, 1983. Assembled from various studio outtakes, it was the duo's first album of new material following Karen's death on February 4 of that year.

    Background

    The album contains the two songs from Karen's final recording sessions, "Now" and "You're Enough", from April 1982 while Karen was taking a break from medical treatment in New York and had temporarily returned to California.[3]

    Other songs on the record are previously unreleased tracks from sessions of Carpenters previous albums A Kind of Hush, Passage and Made in America.[3]

    The song "Now" was a cover of the song "Heart to Heart" by Japanese singer Mariya Takeuchi, which appeared on her album Miss M. [2]

    The song "Ordinary Fool" was originally recorded during A Kind of Hush sessions.[4]

    The songs "Make Believe It's Your First Time" and "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" were recorded during sessions for Carpenters previous studio album, Made in America, and the former eventually became a lead single for Voice of the Heart.[3][5]

    At least one song, "In Love Alone", was intended to be on this album, but Karen did not get the opportunity to hear the track or record a vocal for it before her death; it would be released in 1987 on Richard's solo album Time with Dionne Warwick on lead vocals.[citation needed]

    Reception

    Billboard called it "the duo's strongest album in a decade and contains a few cuts that rank with their all-time best. The most radio-worthy are "Two Lives," a rock-edged ballad previously recorded by Bonnie Raitt; "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore," a brooding, slow-boil pop piece in the tradition of "Hurt So Bad," and "Make Believe It's Your First Time," the soft reflective ballad which is the first single. But the most gripping cut is "Ordinary Fool," a Paul Williams ballad which features the bluesiest vocal of Karen's career." [6]

    In their review, Cashbox noted that "this LP will probably be the last and most remembered collection of new songs by the brother and sister duo. One cannot help feel sad about the void she has left, but the songs featured on this LP are some of the best the duo has recorded in some time and the uplifting messages in their lyrics demand that “Voice of the Heart” be taken as a message of happiness and optimism. This is a fond farewell from a great singer who will be long appreciated for her inspirational and strong love for the music she sang."[7]

    Track listing

    Side one
    No.TitleWriter(s)Length
    1."Now"
    		3:51
    2."Sailing on the Tide"
    		4:24
    3."You're Enough"
    		3:48
    4."Make Believe It's Your First Time"
    • Bob Morrison
    • Johnny Wilson
    		4:08
    5."Two Lives"Mark Terrence Jordan4:35
    Side two
    No.TitleWriter(s)Length
    6."At the End of a Song"
    • Bettis
    • Carpenter
    		3:40
    7."Ordinary Fool"Paul Williams3:42
    8."Prime Time Love"
    • Danny Ironstone
    • Mary Unobsky
    		3:12
    9."Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore"Larry Weiss3:51
    10."Look to Your Dreams"
    • Bettis
    • Carpenter
    		5:13

    Personnel

    Charts

    Chart (1983–1984) Peak
    position
    Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] 54
    Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] 41
    UK Albums (OCC)[10] 6
    US Billboard 200[11] 46
    US
    Cash Box Top 200 Albums[12]
    		 38

    Certifications

    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Gold 100,000^
    United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

    ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

    References

    1. AllMusic
    2. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8
      .
    3. ^ a b c Havers, Richard (October 11, 2023). "'Voice Of The Heart': Karen Carpenter's Beautiful Swan Song". Retrieved September 24, 2024.
    4. ^ "From the Top - Carpenters". Retrieved October 14, 2024.
    5. ^ "YOUR BABY DOESN'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE". richardandkarencarpenter.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
    6. ^ "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. No. 29 October 1983. p. 66. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
    7. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 22 October 1983. p. 10. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
    8. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
      .
    9. Original Confidence. Retrieved September 21, 2012.[permanent dead link
      ‍]
    10. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
    11. ^ "Carpenters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
    12. ^ "Cash Box Top 200 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. January 21, 1984. p. 27. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
    13. ^ "British album certifications – Carpenters – Voice of the Heart". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
    14. ^ "American album certifications – Carpenters – Voice of the Heart". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
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