Life, truly is fantastically beautiful. Such as those precocious moments that we cherish, like when we enjoy a bottle of frosty cold beer in the steaming hot shower. Or a cold naked dash through the snow to the hot tub, juggling the armful of drinks. That rush of air shooting up the underwearless shorts, as you hang your leg out of the door-free Jeep. The terrorific and merciless sound waves make when they collide with the very rocks that you stand on, as you scream bloody murder to the Gods, water cascading down your face and body, as your buddy next to you screams right along side of you, both hoping you don't get plowed over by Momma natures' intense and radical force. This music list is just as powerful a force. I find music to be such an erotic and stimulating backdrop to life. This list has the special qualities that either make you want to get down and dirty or is downright romantic for the mood of a beautiful evening. Use it will for an extra kick of emotion or soul to your evolving life. This list is my list, everyone has their own personal tastes and view, this is just part of mine. I am a connoisseur of life, love, and of music, so here goes... Enjoy. Sade Love Deluxe and "Lovers Rock" If you want a fantastic date night that will get you both in the mood, try going to an open-air, summer concert, she puts on. Bring a blanket and a bottle of wine, the rest is simply magic. I had a fantastic evening at the Hollywood Bowl that I will never forget and to top it off Yousou N Dour opened for her during the Lovers Rock tour. Donna DeLory has a mistical lilt, but is definately a soothing sexy sound softer than Sinead O'Connor but with a strikingly similar tone. Mariza is my choice for Portuguese Fado music. Her presentation and voice are unparalled. I had the pleasure of seeing her in concert at the Disney Concert hall here in downtown Los Angeles playing with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra and her three guitarists for her first show of this magnitude. She was humble, passionate, and extremely sexy. I have never seen such emotion and passion come form the Orchestra. She even played for me and my friends in her special "unplugged" version, literally two feet away with the spotlight on us and the band, we were just lucky enough to have the seats where she chose to play in front of. Unbelievable. I saw many crying with emotion during the show, both in the Orchestra and in the audience. It was magical and so are her CD's. Fado Em Mim and Fado Curvo are the two albums she has out and both are exceptional. Andrea Bocelli is legendary as a performer. His music is romance and passion. Definately not for everyone, but I think it works for everyone who is a romantic. Romanza is always a classic choice for his work. Sogno is another beautiful album for the collection. I even have the release that Victoria Secret put out a few years back called Mistero Dell' Amore which unfortunately does not seem available anywhere anymore. That too is quite a good cd. How about Bryan Ferry. What class and soul his voice permeates. Avalon For a more loungey, fun, and sexy flavour, try a couple of French artists. Serge Gainsbourg I especially enjoy the electronic remix album I Love Serge: ElectronicaGainsbourg it is lighthearted and fun. His more roots style and classic feel are felt with the albums Aux Armes Et Caetera, Comic Strip, and Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg. For an interesting blend of humour and wit and classic cafe music try Paolo Conte the best collection is his The Best Of Paolo Conte. Unapologizing and very fun. Norah Jones and the multi-grammy-winning album Come Away With Me is a must have for every collection. Her voice is just plain sexy and gets me in the mood every time. Norah Jones follows the lead of Getz, Gilberto, and Jobim. They restructured Brazilian jazz world music. In doing so they created sexy soulful music that changed the way we feel. Getz/Gilberto is an amazing album everyone should have int he collection. Totally tantilizing and erotic. Tony Bennett and KD Lang reinvented both of their own careers with the albumA Wonderful World and what a wonderful album it is. Sexy, haunting, real. I have a place in my heart for the four female singers who changed music, values, racial and social stigmas in thier time. Etta James her album Heart Of A Woman and Love Songs are two of my favorites. Nina Simone is a much overlooked goddess of soul. I love the album My Baby Just Cares For Me. Billie Holliday is another who lights my fire. A smooth satin voice, with classic songs we all know, are best represented with the albums Love Songs, Lady In Autumn-The Best Of The Verve Years and Billie Holiday Live. Captivating. Ella Fitzgerald is a force and her music is legendary. The albums that spring to mind that I feel I reach for more than others are First Lady Of Song, and The Collection. For a real treat, try the sass and class melodies of Louis Armstrong, the albums Best of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and Louis Armstrong-Ken Burns Jazz have a definate presence, are disarming and are very sexy. No collection can do with out Old Blue Eyes. Frank Sinatra is a must for mood music. He sets the tone and you can enjoy his flavor. Songs For Swinging Lovers is a good choice for his style. It is not a style I alway bring out for love but I do enjoy the imagery he conjours. Ok, enough of the historical music... let's update and move forward... Verve Remixed is a cd which takes the artists such as Tricky, Dorfmeister, Thievery Corporation, UFO, and King Britt and have them remix and reconstitute a new flavor of the classics that I have mentioned previously with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughn, Gilberto, etc... An amazing cd and one that will work its magic into your heart. This brings us to now. There are some beautiful cd's out there that are beyond romantic. Here is my short long list or is it my long short lis-oh you get it... Ever growing, titilating and stimulating. Bebel Gilberto is a must have. I cannot stress this enough. Daughter of Joao Gilberto, Bebel's lustrous voice tantalizes the heart and emotion weakens the knees so you just fall into bed. Get Tanto Tempo you will fall in love with her and love to love the one you love. We all love that voice of Shirley Bassey. Wow, I wouldn't always pull her out for a sexy evening, well sometimes I do have that Bond penchant, but there is a remix album made which will blow you away. The Remix Album-Diamonds Are Forever Anything and everything Thievery Corporation has done is sexy. Abductions And Reconstructions is a prime example of their work. Mirror Conspiracy and The Richest Man In Babylon are others. Victer Duplaix is one artist who I swear could rule the world if he got his live show to replicate his cd quality. The production is sexy and sleek. His live show sucks. If he could connect with an audience and feel what they are feeling he would soon realize he loses his audience immediately. I have never felt so disconnected at a show, it made me mad. I had to leave early and go home to play the cd so I could make sure I wasn't crazy. I wasn't the cd's International Affairs and Singles-Prelude To A Future are both remarkable productions. Sexy and complex. Gus Gus is a band I highly recommend. Polydistortion and This Is Normal are my selections to use. It is interesting music from a duo I have actually worked with before. They are unique and varied in there influences. They also have there own graphic design company as well as a film production company where they direct music videos and commercials. Waltz For Koop another beautiful cd every romantic should acquire. Royksopp is one more interesting bands, try the cd Melody AM. Also take a look a look at Telepopmusik and the album Genetic World. You have heard a few tracks on the radio or on several Mitsubishi commercials. The album is real sexy and the singer seriously can belt it out. My friends and I danced with her while she sang and performed with Telepopmusik as she moved through the pulsing crowd at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica. I used to see her scream, sing, and dance madly while performing with the Wild Colonials at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, she still has those lungs and that voice! Now we have to nod to several bands here that are serious players. Supreme Beings Of Leisure. I was at an art gallery in downtown LA when I came accross these artists and what a great show they put on. This self titled album is a must and very sexy. Supreme Beings Of Leisure Quirky and influential, Stereolab generate a feeling different than any other band. Emperor Tomato Ketchup is a great cd. Air are French and serious mood music. They were featured in the movie The Virgin Suicides, if that movie wasn't moody I don't know what is. In terms of calling it sexy, hell yeah everything they do is ultra sexy. Try cd's Moon Safari, 10,000 HZ Legend, and Premiers Symptomes. Bossa Cuca Nova is a good choice for a latin beat flavor. I love the drum beats they have at the end of the cd they want you to use and lay down for your own tracks. If you don't know about Morcheeba, well now you do. Sexy and prominent. Beautiful melodies interlaced with disarming rhythm. Check out the cd's Big Calm and Fragments Of Freedom. These next artists are starting to gain notoriety on the club scene worldwide. Check out Armand Van Helden 2 Future 4 U, Bran Van 3000 and the cd Discosis. Etienne DeCrecy have a downtempo groove which might fit your need. Check out the cd Tempovision you will not be let down. Massive Attack are another group that needs no build up. If you don't know em, you should, go buy right now. You will love this album. The cd Mezzanine is a staple in the music lovers library and it should be in yours too. Thier latest offering 100th Window is another staple and a fantastic journey. Speaking of Massive Attack- you can't leave out Tricky. He has some pivotal, sexy cd's out, but the flavour might not be for everyone. His raspy voice can be a turn on or a turn off, but I like it so it is on definately on my list. I have all his cd's but Blowback is the one with so much emotion and sex appeal it has my vote. I see him around the neighborhood getting coffee. I heard he has a studio around here somewhere. Hello neighbor keep up the good work. Nicola Conte is an artist you should seriously consider for pure sex appeal. Wow. Bossa Per Due is the cd you need to get. Zero 7 A staple for chill out and your late night groove. Great music to stare into the eyes and focus deeply on your loved one. Simple Things is the classic. Just as you play certain music after the party, you must also choose the music to play before the party, Groove Armada is one of the bands you play at the beginning of the night to get the feeling going. Vertigo is a classic cd that gets your bones moving. I went to a show they put on at the Santa Monica Airport Museum and actually had sex there at the show. So yea it definately gets my groove on. Morricone RMX is a multi artist remix album of the music of the legendary and great Ennio Morricone. Everyone should listen to this album if you like the old spaghetti westerns or the imagery they conjour up. Very well done. An obscure album I find extremely sexy is Banco De Gaia and the album Igizeh. Truly astonishing, the emotion it conjours is as beautiful as the landscape of sound it projects. Radiohead are not everyone's idea of a romantic band but they get me all emotional and that is romantic to me. Try Kid A and Amnesiac Fat Boy Slim is a big influence in my dance life. Love it. Maybe its the English in me. I wouldn't recommend this to those who want a slower groove, but if you like it a little faster, check out Halfway Between The Gutter and The Stars. I also Love Moby. Try for some atmosphere that is like nothing else... Play and 18. You need them for your library anyway. I was in a bar in Flagstaff Arizona traveling across the counrty on one of my walkabouts when I came across William Orbit playing on the stereo. What is this music? Try Strange Cargo 3 unbeleivable, I found this years ago, now the boy seems to be doing alright since he is gone on to produce for Madonna. I have many of the Chillout, Buddha Sounds, Trance, Rebirth OF Cool, Buddhas Bar, Cafe del Mar etc... series. They all are great, some better than others but there are so many out there go try for yourself. The Buddha Bar series is usually the best. If you want to get into the spiritual realm of your love music try Pasayadan and Mahalakshmi Stotram (As sung in Siddha Yoga Meditation Ashrams) or Om namo Bhagavate Muktanandaya ( Cahnting with Swami Chidvilasananda). There are quite a few great cd's out there but you should try them out of your local Yoga studios which seem to be selling more and more these days. Moving out of the spiritual realm, try Santana Just a grammy winning funky mix of talent in one sexy cd. Supernatural. Another super rock star band is Coldplay. Every track is really good and sexy. Geoffrey Oreyama is someone who drips sex appeal. African singer who has rich subtlety and vocal layering. He caught the attention of Peter Gabriel who has him on his Real World label. Beat The Border is a beautiful album. Speaking of Peter Gabriel, Passion-The Last Temptation Of Christ Soundtrack is phenomenal and should be in your collection. The artist Lisa Gerrard has one of the most beautiful tones and drips sultry and devastating emotion. Try any of these albums... Duality and Gladiator Soundtrack. Damn they are good. Deep Forest and Enigma are both scintillating artists and any of the choices of their albums work very well for mood music. Sarah McLaughlin is serious sex. Check her panties at the door and try out the cd Fumbling Towards Ecstasy While your in this realm, try Melissa Etheridge and her explosive power on the cd's Melissa Etheridge and Yes I Am. Then try a little dose of Sinead O' Connor. Oh I have had a crush on her since I heard the raw unbridled power of her vocals on Lion And The Cobra. Annie Lennox is a powerhouse of vocal haunting emotion. Tap into that energy with Diva. Bjork is a multifaceted artist. Unbelievably cute and sexy. Something about Post gets me all worked up. Try many of her other work too. Try Jonathan Elias' The Prayer Cycle. An amazing cd that will haunt you forever. In a very good way. The following are a group of male vocalists that are all have they're own flavor. David Gray. Try White Ladder and A New Day At Midnight. Ben Harper is a phenomenom. Try Burn To Shine. Finley Quaye is an interesting flavor for night time activities. Check out Maverick A Strike. Jack Johnson has taken over the sex on the beach under the palms vibe. Try On And OnSeal is one of my favorites. Talk about production value. Check Seal, Seal 1994, Seal IV. John Mayer is another name you will be hearing a lot of in the future. Check out this cd Room for Squares. I cannot leave off with a male artist. So to end I leave with the beautiful and dramatic spell Frou Frou put on me. Try track 8 of Details-otherworldly and ethereal. I just want to get naked! The list will continue. J
