About the duo: The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (1946). They produced a distinct soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's harmonizing, arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles and several television specials. The Carpenters currently have two songs in my list of about 200 best pop/rock songs of all time.
About the song: This masquerade is a track from the brilliant 1973 album Now and Then, which most will remember for the singles Yesterday once more and Jambalaya. However, the real gem on this album is their cover of Leon Russell's precious ballad, which gets a delightful soft-jazz treatment, showing off all the qualities of Karen's voice. It was a favourite of Richard and Karen themselves, and they regretted never having released it as a single. Run time 4:53.
