Christmas Portrait by Carpenters (The) (CD, Oct-1990, A&M Records USA)

I decided to buy this particular CD because one of my favorite contemporary Christmas songs that hits the airwaves each holiday season is "Merry Christmas, Darling," a solo by deceased Karen Carpenter with background vocals by her brother, Richard. This single is included on this wonderful compilation and I fondly remember it hitting the top of the charts in the early seventies! When I studied this CD further, before buying it, I also learned that there are SEVENTY minutes of beautiful holiday music by the well-known pop group, ranging from religious favorites, like "O Holy Night" and "Ave Maria" (one of the most touching and soulful songs by Karen Carpenter on the CD) to well-known contemporary tunes such as "Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeeer" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." A bonus of this great CD is the fact that there are eleven (count 'em, eleven!) performances heard for the very first time! The CD is a holiday joy to listen to and it never left my CD player from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day! This is a "special edition" CD, unavailable on the shelves in most retail stores and quite a good value at that, considering the high number of songs by The Carpenters. Buy it and relive the beautiful experience of hearing one of the world's absolute best vocal performers, Karen Carpenter, bring the Christmas holidays to life with her unmatched musical talents. This CD brought Christmas to life for me this year! An absolutely beautiful collection that cannot be found just anywhere! Buy, and enjoy!
Sincerely, Steve Black