By Howard Campbell—

A lifelong fan of Karen Carpenter, Joanna Marie has long been keen to cover some of her songs, but never got around to doing it until the past year. She put a reggae flavor to 10 classics by the famed singer and her brother Richard.

‘Karen Carpenter Tribute Album’ is the title of the album which is scheduled for release on June 2. It is co-produced by Joanna Marie and singer/musician Ed Robinson, her husband.

“Growing up, she was my idol. Her songs were the first songs I learned to play on the piano. Her voice is refreshing and unique to the ear,” said Joanna Marie of Carpenter, who died from heart failure resulting from an eating disorder in 1983 at age 32.

The first single from the album is ‘There’s A Kind of Hush’, originally done by British group The New Vaudeville Band in 1967. In 1976, it was covered by The Carpenters which also included Karen’s older brother Richard.

‘Goodbye to Love’, ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ and ‘Top of The World’ are some of the other songs on ‘Karen Carpenter Tribute Album’.

“Ed and I both selected the songs. This was not a hard task as all of her songs are hits. I just selected my favorites,” said Joanna Marie. She played keyboards while Robinson did all drum parts.

The Carpenters were one of the most popular acts in the United States during the 1970s. Their wholesome image and harmonies endeared them to Americans tired of hard rock and protest artists who dominated the music scene.