Released on October 13, 1983, just 8 months after Karen Carpenter's tragic death, "Voice of the Heart" debuted. How Richard could put together this album with the heavy grief of Karen's death hanging over him can only be answered one way - this was his tribute album to his beloved sister.

The album features a very gaunt but beautiful Karen Carpenter on the cover. The album is filled with many beautiful slow love ballads, which the Carpenters do so well. The first song, "Now", is the last song that Karen Carpenter recorded and is the most beautiful song on this album. Touching and beautifully performed by Karen, "Now" was just a vocal lead, not a complete song, but Karen's reading of the song was so precise and perfect (which was common for Karen) that Richard later added the instrumentals and made it into a complete song. It will touch your heart, as Karen sings it with such touching poignancy. "Now" was released as a single and briefly charted in the US, Brazil, and the UK. "Sailing on the Tide" is the only "upbeat" song of the set, but what a lovely number it is. Written by the group' guitarist, Tony Peluso, the song seems to be written for Karen herself, a woman seeking relief from the intense pressure she is under.

Since this album was put together after Karen's death, many of the songs included are tracks that never made it on other albums. For example, "Ordinary Fool" was originally recorded in 1976, "Make Believe its Your First Time" in 1981, "Prime Time Love" was recorded for the "Made In America" album in 1981, "Look To Your Dreams" a song composed by Richard and John Bettis (his favorite songwriter partner), was recorded in 1978. Despite not being included on previous albums, these are still wonderful compositions, and Karen's voice and interpretation is again incomparable.

Heavily promoted by Richard, "Voice of the Heart" did fairly well, selling over 300,000 copies in the US. It also did very well in Japan, and went to the top-10 in the UK. Unfortunately, the singles released from the album never cracked the top-100 in the US. "Make Believe its Your First Time" peaked at #101, and "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" at #104.

Don't let the singles lack of success fool you, this is a good solid Carpenter album that will please your ears and touch your heart. The beautiful Carpenter sound is clearly evident here and you will love it.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

I've owned this album in some form or another for almost twenty years. I remember the day my mom bought it for me I put it on the stereo, listened to it once and put it away. It wasn't until later in the 80s that I pulled the album out and fell in love with it. I'm not sure why I didn't really want to listen the first time, perhaps (like many other fans did) I had a hard time listening to her music for the longest time after Karen Carpenter passed away.

Time can allow you to reassess your first thoughts on something. In my early days as a Carpenters fan, I thought they musically walked on water. EVERY song by the Carpenters was a good song and anyone who disagreed didn't know any better. I feel silly about that now! Even great artists make clunkers or songs that instantly become dated (think "Prime Time Love") The only thing that can't be denied, though, is that Karen Carpenter's voice could make the blandest of songs still sound lovely.

I remember Richard Carpenter saying once that he and Karen should have done more standards like "I Get Along Without You Very Well." He was absolutely right because Karen had a classy voice that deserved better than fluffy pop. On VOICE OF THE HEART there are some absolutely gorgeous songs that any recording artist would be proud of:

"Now" (poignant and touching because we heard it quite often after her death, but also memorable because it is such a sincere love song and it just about breaks your heart with its yearning)

"Make Believe It's Your First Time" (another love song full of honesty..It's vulnerability perfectly captures that moment of wanting to be with just one person forever)

"Two Lives" (this is possibly my favorite Carpenters song of all time. It is an incredible portrait of how hard it is to let go of a love that ends badly and I think it's one of the few times Karen sang with an intense, intense passion!)

"Look to Your Dreams" (this is a simple song that could have been from a Disney film, but it is wonderful in its phrasing and tone. I love the way Karen sings: "To say I'm old-fashioned would be quite semantically true/But make-believe passion has fallen from fashion's milieu.")

"At the End of a Song" (I just like this track because it is so true and once again Karen sounds like she knows what she's singing about.)

Even the "silly" songs on here ("Prime Time Love" and "Sailing on the Tide") have their moments, especially the latter, which is quite infectious. Karen sounds different here (very wise and slightly jaded--which is great!) particularly when she sings: "No more calls begging my time/No more walls for me to climb."

I think one reason I've grown to love this album so much is that it (along with HORIZON and PASSAGE) prove that the Carpenters (and Karen in particular) didn't just rehash their stuff all the time as so many critics said they did. VOICE OF THE HEART (and even the very poppy MADE IN AMERICA) is still sometimes hard to listen to because it shows you where the Carpenters could have gone if they had regained their momentum and tragedy hadn't struck.

I love this album,and I thought it was the final record from the Carpenters untill "Lovelines" came out 6 years later."Now," the last song ever recorded by Karen in April of 1982 is a classic. I really don't care for the chorus singers,but Karen wasen't around to do her fantastic backup singing with Richard.I'm sure if Karen never died,this would have been a huge hit. I love "Sailing on the Tide." Its the only up-lifting song on this record.Its almost like Karen's telling us she's fine,but in a better place now. "Make Believe its your first time," from Karen's solo album that was released twelve years after her death, was the first single released.It was a big Adult Contemporary hit in billboard,and its much better on this album than Karen's. This is a sad album for the most part,and it came out not long after Karen's death."Look to you Dreams," with Richards slow piano playing at the end tears your heart apart.It just makes you think,what would have happened if Karen got it together. I could hear her singing Madonna's"Crazy for you," or any of the other great Ballads that came out in the 80's. At least we have all the Carpenters records to cherish forever.

This album is worth buying if for only one song..."Ordinary Fool".

If you're not sitting with tears streaming down your face after this song then you are one cold SOB, my friend!

I agree with a reviewer below, that this is just a compilation of previously unreleased tracks. Richard Carpenter and A&M Records never should have hailed "Voice of the Heart" as the final Carpenters album, considering this fact. I also agree with so many others as this being regarded as the "funeral" album. I was a fan of The Carpenters and this posthumous release only served as a reminder of the great loss everyone was feeling at the time. However, there are many lovely recordings such as "Ordinary Fool," "At the End of a Song" and "Now." "You're Enough" is the only song I bag on, in which the intro always reminds me of a bunch of circus clowns and elephants for some reason. I love "Sailing On the Tide" which is the only upbeat song on the whole album. I could have done without the "fogie" chorus singers on some of the album's best tracks. This is The Carpenters and if you were a fan, you should add this to your collection. But be prepared to get very, very sad.