Items18The creator’s order
  1. 1Wave (1967)Wave (1967)Released Jan 1, 1967If the day starts slowly, try the title track. Jobim sets a tune that’s easy to follow against the small insistence of the rhythm. “Triste” keeps that sense of space in a slightly quicker motion. It’s the sound of a breakfast table you can stay at for another cup.0
  2. 2Street of Dreams (1964)Street of Dreams (1964)Released Jan 1, 1964The guitar, organ and vibraphone leave different kinds of sound hanging in the air. “Lazy Afternoon” makes the most of that room. “Somewhere in the Night” gives the group a little more motion when you want to come out of the slower spell.0
  3. 3Good Dog, Happy Man (1999)Good Dog, Happy Man (1999)Released Jan 1, 1999Try “Shenandoah” for the moment when you’ve put the coffee on and have nowhere in particular to go. Frisell and Ry Cooder leave enough space to hear the melody’s shape between them. The ensemble pieces elsewhere on the record give the guitars a wider place to wander.0
  4. 4Perfect Angel (1974)Perfect Angel (1974)Released Jan 1, 1974“Reasons” gives the record more kick than the soft sway of “Lovin’ You” suggests. Riperton can put a note almost anywhere without losing the push underneath it. This is one for singing along quietly until there’s a song you’d rather turn up.0
  5. 5There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)Released Jan 1, 1973The relaxed motion of “Learn How to Fall” leaves room for Simon’s phrasing. By “Loves Me Like a Rock,” the backing voices fill in what the lead leaves open. Let the record run when a slow breakfast has become an excuse to stay around the table.0
  6. 6Walk Through Fire (2019)Walk Through Fire (2019)Released Jan 1, 2019Yola’s easy phrasing makes “Ride Out in the Country” feel as though there’s time to see something on the way. “Love All Night (Work All Day)” gives the album a busier, hungrier rhythm. Both work in a room where people are doing different things and still want a song to follow.0
  7. 7The Universe Smiles Upon You (2015)The Universe Smiles Upon You (2015)Released Jan 1, 2015There’s time to hear the bass line settle before the guitar has said much in “Mr. White.” “White Gloves” brings in a smaller, lightly sung melody later. Pick the original record for a steady pulse that can keep going while you wander in and out of the room.0
  8. 8A Tábua de Esmeralda (1974)A Tábua de Esmeralda (1974)Released Jan 1, 1974The repeated words and guitar figure in “Os Alquimistas Estão Chegando os Alquimistas” can set the pace of the room within a few phrases. Listen for the lighter guitar and percussion in “O Homem da Gravata Florida” after the sound has found its footing.0
  9. 9Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)Released Jan 1, 2003“Asleep on a Sunbeam” gives the album a softer place to land as the voices come together. “I’m a Cuckoo” gets you back on your feet with a much firmer guitar rhythm. That give and take is why the record works for an afternoon with no firm plans.0
  10. 10Bird's Eye (2024)Bird's Eye (2024)Released Jan 1, 2024“Love Me Not” finds a compact, bouncing pocket, while “One Wish” lets the voices pull back over a quieter pulse. Both are good on a sunny afternoon. Together they give the album somewhere to go after the first bright hook.0