Karen Carpenter had an incredible voice - both tone and how she communicated the soul of the music/lyrics.
Richard was equally adept at arranging, too.
Short story...
When recording the love ballad “Goodbye to Love” they brought in a local guitarist to play the break and outro solos. At first he played an easy “Carpenters” style but Richard encouraged him to play with a more raw edge....which he did. It became one of the first love ballads with a “power solo”.
I have both their 2-CD “Gold” album and the HiRez 24-bit “Singles” - they both are still played frequently at home and in my car. The 24-bit HiRez has excellent mastering & sound quality, too!!!
And she was a pretty good drummer too.