Karen Carpenter was a true contralto, which is very rare. Her lows are rich, deep and resonant, and she maneuvers easily between registers. She is one of the greatest female vocalists who ever lived and to this day, no one has been able to duplicate her style of singing. Contrast that with so called great contemporary singers such as Whitney Houston, whose imitators can be easily found on the internet. Personally, I think Houston is overrated. Anita Baker puts her to shame, yet, many people don’t even know who she is.
Anita Baker/Caught up in the Rapture
Anita Baker/No One In the World
Baker, like Karen, is a contralto with a three octave range.