Albums for a Solo Dinner That Deserves Good Music

About 35 minutes “Last Train” gets the meal moving with a springy beat. The title song takes up much less space, with Toussaint’s voice sounding as if it’s coming from the other side of the room. Pick this for a dinner with room for funk and a quieter turn halfway through.

About 48 minutes La Havas can make a line feel like a conversation even when the rhythm is doing a lot around her. On “Paper Thin,” the voice and guitar leave space for the band to answer. The much bigger sound of “Bittersweet” makes the quieter passages feel chosen, and the small reprise at the end is worth staying for.

About 27 minutes Gilberto sings with a light touch while the arrangements keep finding new ways to move around her. Start with the unhurried delivery on “Stay” and listen for the quicker lift of “Beach Samba” later. The whole thing is short enough to put on once the food is already on the table.

About 29 minutes The arrangements make a lot happen in a short time. Follow the bass in “Na Boca do Sol” when the strings sweep in, or go straight through and enjoy how quickly voices, saxophone, and quieter passages come into view. It’s a good dinner choice if you’d like changes you can hear without reaching for another record.

About 61 minutes Hailu Mergia’s keyboard and the Dahlak Band give you a different sound to follow each time the rhythm settles in. “Yene Nesh Wey (Amalele)” has enough bounce for the first part of a meal, and the longer title track leaves more room to let a phrase go by and catch the next one. Good company for a dinner that includes time to linger.

About 48 minutes Baca’s voice can make you pay attention without getting louder. In “Poema,” listen to the gap between her phrases and the small sounds that answer them. The softer playing works well for a quiet table where you can leave the volume low and still hear the shape of a song.

About 47 minutes “Fool of Me” puts Ndegeocello’s voice in the foreground and makes every pause noticeable. Come back to the singing on the closing “Grace” to hear a gentler shape hold the same level of attention. Choose this when the time to yourself is part of what you were looking forward to.

About 37 minutes “Savanne” opens with a loping guitar figure that makes the record easy to settle into. By “Tongo Barra,” there’s much more activity to follow between the voice and guitar. This fits a dinner when you want a steady current underneath it and a little more energy by the time you finish.

About 40 minutes The rhythm and electronics on “Blood on Me” can hold your attention even with other things going on. “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” brings the record close again with much less around the voice. It’s the one for an evening when you’re happy to stop halfway through a bite and listen.

About 31 minutes The guitar on “Deadweight on Velveteen” is busy enough that you can follow it as its own melody, and the voice stays close above it. The album asks very little of the volume knob. It suits a shorter dinner when you’d still like to hear the record through.

About 45 minutes Give “Dounia” enough time to hear how the guitar frames Traoré’s voice. Later, her spare treatment of “The Man I Love” brings a familiar melody into the same sound world. Choose this when you want a singer you can follow closely and plenty to notice in the guitar at the table.

About 40 minutes “The Barrel” is easy to hang onto while getting settled, and changes in Harding’s delivery keep making the words sound a little different. “Damn” uses a small piano figure and gives it time to do its work. There’s enough mischief here for a meal when you’d like something to puzzle over.

About 48 minutes Put this on when dinner is late and there’s no reason to rush. Keep an ear on the bass and harp in “Whiskey” as Aftab slides across the pulse. “Raat Ki Rani” gives the singing a different glow. Both make a good case for leaving the volume at a level where you can hear the edges of each sound.