The crystalline, intimate vocals of Karen Carpenter and the sympathetic piano playing and expert arranging skills of her brother Richard elevated easy-listening pop music to a new level. The duo became the perfect interpreters of lush love ballads from the likes of Paul Williams (“We’ve Only Just Begun”) and Carole King (“It’s Going to Take Some Time”). The siblings’ sweet harmonies and plush arrangements fill their music with a heartbreaking sense of longing, especially on melancholy originals like “Only Yesterday” and “Yesterday Once More”.