Items13The creator’s order
  1. 1Southern Nights (1975)Southern Nights (1975)Released Jan 1, 1975About 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.0
  2. 2Lianne La Havas (2020)Lianne La Havas (2020)Released Jan 1, 2020About 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…0
  3. 3Beach Samba (1966)Beach Samba (1966)Released Jan 1, 1966About 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.0
  4. 4Arthur Verocai (1972)Arthur Verocai (1972)Released Jan 1, 1972About 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…0
  5. 5Wede Harer GuzoWede Harer GuzoAbout 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.…0
  6. 6Eco de sombras (2000)Eco de sombras (2000)Released Jan 1, 2000About 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.0
  7. 7Bitter (1999)Bitter (1999)Released Jan 1, 1999About 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.0
  8. 8AliAliAbout 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…0
  9. 9Process (2017)Process (2017)Released Jan 1, 2017About 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…0
  10. 10Veneer (2003)Veneer (2003)Released Jan 1, 2003About 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.0