Love dominates the minds of most popular songwriters and it’s easy to understand why. Love is an amazingly elastic subject. The number of songs with “love” in the title (“Endless Love,” “I Will Always Love You,” “Love and Happiness,” “The Man I Love”) could easily fill several books. Alongside plaintive declarations of love are love songs that ask eternal questions (e.g., “How Long Has This Been Going?” “Where Are You?” “How Do you Keep the Music Playing”), focus on the lustier side of love (e.g., “Let’s Get it On,” “I Wanna Sex You Up”), and express the tension between devotion and possession (“Every Breath You Take,” “Come Rain or Come Shine”).

While singers commonly sing “love” songs it takes a certain artistic vision to bring together a whole set of songs that cohere together as a statement. I’m thinking less about overt “concept” albums than albums that create and sustain a certain mood. With this in mind I meditated on eight decades of albums to single out the most outstanding collections of love songs including regular albums and notable compilations by individual artists. Certain singers like, Al Green, Anita Baker, and Peggy Lee were obvious while other choices hopefully inspire you to discover someone new or take a second listen.

My selection criteria include the following:

· I have selected albums featuring predominantly positive affirming romantic love songs as opposed to “torch” song collections.

· I focus on albums that feel good, sound good, and take listeners on a journey.

· I aimed for diversity in arrangement, era, and genre.

· For artists whose aesthetic is synonymous with love songs I selected compilations showcasing their uniqueness.

The list (arranged chronologically):

For Those in Love (Dinah Washington, 1955)

A blues and gospel trained singer with a wide stylistic palette Dinah Washington brought blues feeling to everything she sang—meaning not so much generic musical elements than a strong sense of improvisation. Her assertive tone, tart voice and perfect articulation are instantly recognizable and have influenced generations of singers. One of the albums that solidified her in the upper echelon of American singers is For Those in Love a set of intimate performances highlighted by relaxed versions of “Easy Living,” “My Old Flame,” and “I Could Write a Book.” Produced by Quincy Jones she has a natural interplay with an outstanding group of jazz players including Wynton Kelly (piano), Jimmy Cobb (drums), and Clark Terry (trumpet).

Ella & Louis (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, 1956)

Though the two jazz legends had recorded single duets earlier their first full duet album is the standard for the genre. Renowned for its warm chemistry their love for each other pours out on “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” and “Cheek to Cheek,” alongside warm renditions of “Tenderly” and “The Nearness of You.” They recorded a delightful sequel, Ella and Louis Again, 1957, and the score to Porgy and Bess in 1959.

Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (Frank Sinatra, 1956)

Sinatra was one of the early masters of the album form and 1956’s Swingin’ Lovers is a set of sexy, exuberant songs sung with joy, humor and aplomb and arranged with swinging flair by masterful arranger Nelson Riddle. One of Sinatra's most convincing and enjoyable sets it is highlighted by classic versions of “You Make Me Feel So young,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and “Anything Goes.”

Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire (Mel Torme, 1956)

This is a joyful pairing of one of the most agile and spirited singers of vocal jazz with one of the most distinguished repertoires in pop music—actor, dancer, icon, and singer Astaire. Tormé—informed by Astaire’s rhythmic prowess and the superb songs of George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Irving Berlin, soars. Delivering some of his most charming, inventive performances he is in great swinging form on enduring standards like “Nice Work if you Can Get It,” “A Fine Romance,” and “Cheek to Cheek.”

The Very Thought of You (Nat King Cole, 1958)

In a career defined by signature ballads Cole’s most beautiful collection of ballad performances can be found on 1958’s The Very Thought of You where Cole weaves a rapturous, hypnotic spell throughout. No singer has ever surpassed his mature adult romanticism in the first three tracks including on the dreamy time-stopping title track, and radiant breathtaking versions of “But Beautiful” and Steve Allen’s “Impossible.” Cole’s ability to live in these songs and draw out their melodic and lyrical deftness evokes the best from the songs and perfectly showcases the singer. At times the string arrangements are heavy but at best they provide a perfectly lush context that envelops his luscious, unhurried approach.

Open Fire, Two Guitars (Johnny Mathis, 1959)

The mellifluous sound of Johnny Mathis is the quintessential sound of dreamy 1950’s crooning. 1959’s Open Fire, Two Guitars finds him singing romantic standards in an intimate setting (two guitars and bass) far removed from his typically lush, orchestral settings. The spare backdrop illuminates the beauty of his voice and evokes some of his most emotive interpretation including “In the Still of the Night,” “You’ll Never Know,” and “Embraceable You.” Turn up the heat and get cozy this is a most affecting aphrodisiac.

Jo + Jazz (Jo Stafford, 1960)

Jo Stafford, renowned for her smooth, vibrato-less sound, and cool approach to lyrics, was the most popular female singer of the 1940s. As adept at novelty tunes as she was with romantic ballads her versatility shone most bright on this unexpected meeting of Stafford with blue chip jazz musicians, including saxophonist Ben Webster and pianist Jimmy Rowles. More of a lightly swinging approach to standards than a hardcore jazz album Stafford and her bandmates deliver a consistent set of dreamy performances especially the ballads “For You” and “Midnight Sun.”

After Hours (Sarah Vaughan, 1961)

Vaughan is so synonymous with bebop virtuosity it’s easy to overlook her gentler side. On this 1961 session her sumptuous voice takes on a gentle playfulness on memorable versions of classics like “Ev’ry Time we Say Goodbye” and “You’d Be So Easy to Love” supported by George Duvivier’s double bass and Mundell Lowe’s guitar. The setting was so cozy she duplicated it on 1962’s Sarah +2 featuring Joe Pass and Barney Kessel.

Falling in Love is Wonderful (Jimmy Scott, 1962)

Jimmy Scott’s best early album was nearly never heard. After he left Savoy Record to record for other labels including Tangerine, he recorded Falling in Love is Wonderful. A contract dispute forced its withdrawal from the market. A long out-of-print 1962 ballad album it was arranged by Gerald Wilson and Marty Paich and featured Ray Charles on piano and as a producer (re-issued by Rhino in 2003). Scott’s performance is tender, emotive and touching on lovelorn songs like the title track, “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Comparable in many ways to ballad performances by Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday the set solidified Scott’s yearning, spacious style.

Sugar ‘N’ Spice (Peggy Lee, 1962)

Peggy Lee’s seductive voice is an iconic texture in American popular music. Lee, best known for sizzlers like “Lover,” “Fever,” and dramatic ballads such as “Is That All There Is” was a prolific recording artist and one of the first to record “concept albums.” Singling out a single album amid a career filled with fine albums, and abundant compilations, is challenging but 1962’s Sugar ‘N’ Spice is a great place to start. Sugar showcases her confident way with swingers (“The Best is Yet to Come”), ballads (“teach Me Tonight”), blues (“See See Rider”), and even some Ray Charles style R&B (“Ain’t That Love”). Her hushed, breathy intonation, dramatic phrasing, and surefooted rhythm make this a set suited for a wide range of emotions.

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book (1964)

The First Lady of Song recorded virtually every major standard of her generation on her regular albums and renowned songbook series. By default, she is one of popular music’s premier interpreter of the love song genre. The Marty Paich-orchestrated Johnny Mercer Songbook is a sublime recording. The deep serenity she achieves on “Midnight Sun” and “I Remember You” features her at her most romantic. She also effortlessly soars on up-tempo versions of “Day in Day Out” and “Something’s Gotta Give.” Her rhythmic mastery, careful phrasing, and mature lyric interpretations elevate the romanticism beauty of Mercer’s songs.

I’m Still in Love with You (Al Green, 1972)

The combination of Al Green’s sweet, searing tenor, ecstatic soul cries, and Hi Records propulsive signature percussion is one of the definitive sounds of the 1970s. The lovely title song sets the romantic pace here and is supported ably by the grooving “Love and Happiness,” a sexy cover of Roy Orbison’s “Oh Pretty Woman,” and a simultaneously sultry and elegiac verison of Kris Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times.”

Blue Lights in the Basement (Roberta Flack, 1977)

Roberta Flack was among the pioneers of a slower, lusher, more emotionally epic Black pop in the early 1970s. Without her, there would be no “quiet storm” or “slow jams” to speak of. After establishing her languorous approach on “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song” she started infusing her music with newer rhythms. Loose, jazzy, and sexy Blue Lights is a sensual set of mood music that pushed Flack into a modern R&B and disco-flavored textures without obscuring her essence. Best known for the sublime Donny Hathaway duet “The Closer I Get to You” with Donny Hathaway she is equally appealing on the Gwen Guthrie ballad “The Time I’ll Be Sweeter” and the yearning “I’d Like to Be Baby to You.”

This One’s for Tedi (Johnny Hartman, 1980)

Though Johnny Hartman most famous for his sublime collaboration with John Coltrane his catalog is rife with romantic sets. His crowning achievement, besides his collaboration with Coltrane, was the sublime This One’s for Tedi (named after his wife) also recorded in 1980. Hartman’s warm tone, sensitive phrasing and strong sense of time are showcased beautifully on “That’s All,” “It Could Happen to You” and “More I Cannot Wish You.”

Rapture (Anita Baker, 1986)

Anita Baker redefined the sound of adult oriented R&B on 1986’s classic Rapture an eight-song masterpiece of classic ballads with contemporary, piano and keyboard arrangements and soulful gospel harmonies. The melodic, narrative ballads, highlighted by the hits “Sweet Love,” “Caught Up in the Rapture,” and “No One in the World” are the kind of epic soul songs many feared were killed by disco and funk. Baker’s luxuriant, jazz-influenced sound influenced a generation of singer including Regina Belle, Mikki Howard, Oleta Adams, and Toni Braxton.

A Perfect Match (George Shearing and Ernestine Anderson, 1988)

Ernestine Anderson’s surefooted musicianship and ability to develop and sustain a mood thrive on A Perfect Match, a delightfully swinging set recorded with pianist George Shearing, with Neil Swainson on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Though many of the songs are familiar standards they make inspired choices in rhythm and tempo that gives the songs refreshing energy. Examples include a sprightly “Trust in Me” and “Falling in Love with Love.” Elsewhere Anderson sings with hushed authority on “I Remember Clifford” and the majestic “Some Other Time.” Additionally, they focus their attention on less common song such as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “That’s for Me.” Though Anderson is rightfully associated with swinging takes on blues tunes her vast interpretive range shines brightly on this set.

When Harry Met Sally soundtrack (Harry Connick Jr., 1989)

Connick achieved his greatest fame for his endearing renditions of familiar standard like “It Had to Be You” and “Our Love is Here to Stay” on the soundtrack for the most iconic romantic comedy of modern times. Connick, who arranged many of the selections, delivers these melodies and lyric with great warmth, and the arrangements balance classic cues and contemporary feeling perfectly. Whether singing in a big band or small group setting Connick excels in this romantic setting.

The Best of Luther Vandross: The Best of Love (Luther Vandross, 1990)

Luther Vandross was the premier male R&B singer of the 1980’s-early 1990’s. His velvet voice, sparkling vocal arrangements and polished production style represented a unique and influential style well suited for his originals “Never Too Much” and classy interpretations of pop standards like “A House is Not A Home.” In the mid-1990’s as R&B gained more hip-hop influences, he made numerous attempts to modernize his style, but he was fundamentally a romantic crooner who was sensual but never lascivious. 1990’s Best of Love is state of the art 80s R&B spanning his sterling vocals on Change’s post-disco “Searching” and “The Glow of Love” through the mellow pop-soul balladry on his first major crossover hit, 1989’s elegant “Here and Now.” In between are Vandross’ superb originals like “Never” and “Stop for Love,” interpretations of “House,” “Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me,” and “If Only for One Night/Creepin’”and his Motown covers, “Since I Lost My Baby” and a superb Cheryl Lynn duet on “If This World were Mine.” Along with Anita Baker, Vandross is the quintessential mainstream adult R&B singer—mature, sensual and classic.

Love Songs (Diane Schuur, 1993)

Diane Schuur is synonymous with a full-bodied jazz style strongly influenced by big band jazz and soul music. 1993’s Love Songs is a lushly arranged set, with occasional jazz solos, focused on romantic balladry. Schuur’s beautiful voice radiates an unmistakable glow on a hushed interpretation of “Speak Low,” a brilliantly yearning jazz arrangement of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” and lovely light swing versions of “Our Love is here to Stay,” “The More I See You,” and “I Thought About You.”

Blue and Sentimental (Cleo Laine, 1994)

Cleo Laine is the most acclaimed and influential British jazz vocalist of her generation. Like Sarah Vaughan she possesses a voice of remarkable range, beauty, and flexibility. Blue & Sentimental covers the gamut of emotions through enchanting versions of contemporary ballads (“The Lies of Handsome Men,” “Afterglow”) and classic blues and jazz (“Love Me [If it Takes All Night Long],” “Soft Pedal Blues,” “Creole Love Call”), with two luscious duets with jazz crooner Joe Williams on “What’ll I Do” and “Cryin’ Shame.”

The Lady Wants to Know (Laura Fygi, 1994)

Laura Fygi, of Dutch and Egyptian descent, performed in a Dutch pop group (called Centerfold) for years before going solo as a jazz-oriented vocalist and achieving international success. Fygi applies her hushed soft-focus style to bossa novas on the lush and sumptuous 1994 set The Lady Wants to Know. Since Fygi is a sensualist attuned to the nuances of creating and sustaining a mood the songs are a great fit for her. She personalizes traditional Brazilian pop like “Corcovado,” “Dindi,” “Triste” and “How Insensitive” effectively and gives standout performances of tow Michael Franks tunes: they duet on “Tell Me All About It” a luscious soft focus set well-suited to their voices, and her delicate touch with the title track. She also reworks Porter’s “You Do Something to Me” into convincing bossa fare and goes off the beaten path with Toots Thielemans on the charmer “Oh Telephone.”

When I Look in Your Eyes (Carol Sloane, 1994)

Jazz crooner Sloane sang with an elegant, burnished quality well-suited to the subtle melodies and evocative lyrics of romantic material for grownups. On this eclectic program of well-chosen swingers and ballads she is especially effective on the sumptuous title track, a haunting rendition of June Christy’s “Something Cool” and a swinging “Will You Still Be Mine?” that closes the set.

The Legacy of Phyllis Hyman (Phyllis Hyman, 1996)

Beloved by R&B fans but virtually ignored by pop radio Hyman was an R&B and jazz stylist whose recordings never quite caught up with her talents. Possessing a sultry voice and a broad stylistic palette she established herself through lush jazz-fusion collaborations with Norman Connors (“You Are My Starship”) and funky disco style numbers like the Reggie Lucas-Mtume classic “You Know How to Love Me.” Arguably her specialty were impassioned ballads defined by her sultry tone and fluid phrasing including signatures like “I Don’t Wanna Lose You,” “Be Careful (How You Treat My Love),” “Betcha By Golly Wow,” and “Can’t We Fall in Love Again” a steamy duet with Michael Henderson. The double-disc Legacy, which includes her recordings from the mid-1970s-mid-1990s is her best collection showcasing her as a balladeer, dance singer, duet partner and jazz stylist. These 28 songs reveal a haunting, romantic voice dressed in multiple shades that always maintains its integrity regardless of setting. A clear inspiration to Regina Belle, Mikki Howard and other soul belters it captures a talent lost too soon.

Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite (Maxwell, 1996)

A love of love, alongside a love of 70s soul music, was one of the main links between the new generation of “neo-soul” singers that emerged in the 1990s including D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and the MVP of romance, Maxwell. Influenced by the soulful tenors of Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and Prince, Maxwell built on this foundation to establish his unique voice. More of an album-oriented artist than a hit machine distinctive tunes like “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder),” “Sumthin Sumthin,” and “Whenever Wherever Whatever” from his 1996 debut gave listeners a hint of his contemporary approach to sex, desire, and romance. Drawing on funk, hip-hop, crooner pop, and soul his debut opened the door to an aesthetic he has continually expanded in exciting directions in live and studio albums.

I’m So into You: The Passion of Peabo Bryson; Anthology (Peabo Bryson, 1997; 2002)

Before Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson, Babyface, and Maxwell, Bryson was black pop’s smoothest love man. Less gritty than Al Green, and less carnal than Teddy Pendergrass, Bryson is renowned for his smooth, polished balladeering including soul classics like “Feel the Fire,” “I’m So into You,” and “Crosswinds” that made him a staple of Black radio in the 1970s. In the 1980s he reached the pop audience thanks to duets with Roberta Flack and the crossover hit “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again.” After floundering commercially in the late 1980s he rebounded with the adult R&B hit “Can You Stop the Rain” and Oscar-winning movie theme duets for Beauty and the Beast (with Celine Dion) and Aladdin (with Regina Belle). The best introduction to his sensuous approach is the single-disc I’m So into You: The Passion of Peabo Bryson (EMI) which covers his 1970s radio hits and deep cuts in 14 cuts. If you want more Bryson 2002’s Anthology (Capitol) is a more comprehensive 30-track overview of his career from his pre-hit days through 1991’s “Can You Stop the Rain” but I’m So into You is an ideal start.

You’re My Thrill (Shirley Horn, 2001)

Vocalist and pianist Horn kicked off a promising jazz career in the mid-1960s and paused in the 1970s to devote herself to family. In the late 1980s she made a brilliant comeback on a series of acclaimed studio albums and live sets defined by her smoldering understated vocal approach and elegant playing. One of her less heralded sets is 2001’s You’re My Thrill. Alongside effortless swingers (“The Best is Yet to Come”) and moody ballads (“Solitary Moon”) she sings some convincing blues inflected material including “Sharing the Night with the Blues,” “You’d Better Love Me,” and the standard “Why Don’t you Do Right.”

The Art of Romance (Tony Bennett, 2004)

Radiant, swinging and lyrical 2004’s The Art of Romance—unburdened by concepts, high powered collaborations, or gimmickry—features Bennett at his best singing traditional romantic ballads and swing tunes in a light orchestral setting spotlighting his warm baritone and his intricate readings of lyrics. On a program of good contemporary ballads like the Bergmans’ “Where Do You Start,” and Sondheim’s “Being Alive” and under-recorded tunes like “Gone with the Wind” Bennett struts hits interpretive mettle balancing the melodic subtleties, narrative nuances and rhythms of each song with an understated, but palpable sense of drama. Because Bennett’s voice has lost some of its range and texture, he compensates prominently employing rhythmic prowess and rendering each song as an almost self-contained mini drama.

Love Wants to Dance (Maria Muldaur, 2004)

Roots singer Maria Muldaur applies her well-honed eclectic approach on Love. Blending classics like “If Dreams Come True” and “I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues” with contemporary classics like Ivan Lins’s “Love Dance” and Francesca Blumenthal’s “The Lies of Handsome Men,” and newer songs she unites different approaches to the love song genre seamlessly. A balmy sensuality pervades the set making it a lovely album for listening and setting a mood.

Love is the Answer (Barbra Streisand, 2009)

The impressively understated and affecting Love is the Answer is one of Barbra Streisand’s finest hours. Diana Krall and Tommy LiPuma complement her natural gifts as co-producers through recording the album’s ballads with a quartet and adapting these performances to strings. This approach fostered a more relaxed and intimate environment for the singer whose performances maintain a warm, inviting mood. The resulting double-disc (the Deluxe Edition) featuring orchestral and quartet performances showcase a different Streisand. No matter how frequently listeners have heard songs like “Here’s That Rainy Day,” “Smoke gets in Your Eyes,” or “Some Other Time” Streisand inevitable makes you listen to them. Beyond the enduringly lovely texture of her voice are choices in phrasing, emphasis and inflection that render these songs as unique vehicles for her neo-classical romanticism. She illuminates the wonderment of “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” transforming it from a torch song to a yearning yet hope-filled cry for a lover to return. She treats “Make Someone Happy” (whose lyric is the source of the album’s title) as an intimate philosophy. Effort has also been made to place her voice in fresh settings such as the gentle samba rhythm of “Gentle Rain” and the Gallic tonality of “If You Go Away.” Elsewhere careful pacing and a gift for subtle melodic embellishment imbues “Where Do You Start” and “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” with new life. The sparseness of the arrangements, the consistent quality of material and Streisand’s nuanced performances make this one a modern classic.

Tenderly (Stacey Kent, 2015)

Jazz vocalist and songwriter Stacey Kent has been a fine jazz singer since the mid-1990s and garnered notoriety in the 2000s for singing songs featuring lyrics by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro as well as her adventurous polyglot approach to jazz. Tenderly proves songs from the past can feel fresh in newer settings. Low key, and guitar centered Tenderly lives up to its name; a beautifully straightforward “soft focus” romantic album with a timeless feel thanks to affecting, understated interpretations of ballads like “There Will Never Be Another You” and the title song, with lovely surprises including a lively, swinging “No Moon At All,” and the endearing bossa nova “Aggaradinhos.”

This is for the Lover in You: 30 Best Romantic Albums (1955-2015)

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