More surprising than any amount of hits that this album yielded is the surprising consistency of the album's first half, which I'd argue showcases the duo at their absolute strongest. Clearly, the Carpenters themselves must have been just aware of this; four of the album's six singles are from the first half. This leaves only two songs left out of the club, one of which being the short "Intermission" that ends the first half, which hardly counts, and the title track "A Song for You", penned by one Leon Russell. Admittedly, I think this bookending song is one of the album's absolute highlights, and could've easily been a better choice for single over the mildly forgettable "Bless the Beasts and the Children"—maybe it was passed over because of its length, which clocks in at nearly five minutes. Even still, the somewhat innocent feel of the song is perfect for the Carpenters, and its especially well-suited for Karen's beautiful voice. Bookending the album with it also helps give some great cohesion, something that I'd argue Carpenters albums aren't particularly lauded for—Richard has argued that A Song for You is a pseudo concept album which, to be frank, I think is a load of bullshit. This quality does, unfortunately drop off in the second half with a bit of a thud. It's never a good sign when we're resorting to Richard Carpenter solo pieces, primarily because he's not a very good singer, and we're left with two white elephants on this album; "Piano Picker", a frankly kind of embarrassing piece of music hall drivel, and his own instrumental "Flat Baroque", a short baroque leaning piece that, rather fittingly, falls flat.
Undoubtedly, the singles are still the bread and butter of A Song for You, even when I don't end up caring for those singles. This is where the latter half of the album still manages to have some magic with the Paul Williams-Roger Nichols composition of "I Won't Last a Day Without You", perfectly in line with the finest of Carpenters hits, only fitting from the team that gifted us "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "We've Only Just Begun". Perhaps it's not as strong as either of those, but it still stands as a powerhouse moment on this album. "Hurting Each Other" has the critical position of being the album's third song, and it's quite fittingly one of the finest Carpenters hits; brilliantly arranged, backed with one of Karen Carpenter's greatest vocal performances, and the perfect amount of sappy sentimentality to bring it all home. I wish I could say the same for the album's absolute biggest hit with "Top of the World", the song immediately preceding it on the album, although I admittedly don't click with this song as much as everyone else seemingly; the touch of country with the slide guitar and simple backbeat does not mesh well with the Carpenters high-gloss production, and the resulting dichotomy works against the song rather than for it. It's one of a few more boppy Carpenters songs, including the later "It's Going to Take Some Time", yet another one of the album's many hits. This one is effective enough, and it's warmth is much appreciated, but given that it follows up the massive "Hurting Each Other", it does leave a bit to be desired. Luckily, the more melancholic "Goodbye to Love", written in-house by Richard and John Bettis, helps to end the first half with an assured momentum, even if they end up losing some of that going into the album's second side.
Perhaps the Carpenters were not geniuses, but who said they needed to be? Truth is, the biggest problem that has plagued every Carpenters album I've heard is often a lack of consistency or quality. Perhaps this is where my perception of them as a singles group comes in strong, as even on what could very well be their best studio album, the standout moments are usually allotted to the singles, with other moments ranging in quality vastly from great to "Piano Picker". It may be even more unfortunate, given that after Now and Then and the Singles 1969-1973 compilation, the Carpenters had effectively hit their peak, with nowhere left to go but down. If A Song for You is their creative, commercial, and artistic peak, than perhaps that's not such a bad thing—much better groups have ended their creative prowess on much more abrupt and disastrous notes. In that sense, A Song for You is a relative triumph for their catalog, and a solid pop album through and through. With years removed from the Carpenters and their music now divorced from the landscape it was birthed in, it's even easier to see this record's real worth in hindsight. It seems the interest has accrued.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to A Song for You.
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