This Valentine’s Day, here are three albums that I think are romantic without being saccharine, schmaltzy, or on-the-nose “Valentiney”.
- Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell. Joni sings a selection of standards tracing the arc of a love affair. Not all good! But it explores a range of human emotions with her voice delivering pathos, drama, and exquisite storytelling and backed up by incredible arrangements by Vince Mendoza.
- Ella and Louis Again, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. They weren’t ever a romantic couple but their musical connection feels like romance to me, and their recordings are never anything but joyful.
- The Melody At Night, With You, Keith Jarrett. Jarrett is a piano maximalist, but this is a strikingly introspective solo exploration of standards and folk tunes. It was his first recording after his time suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, and was dedicated to his wife, who helped him in his illness and recovery.
[links are to Spotify but these are available everywhere, including as physical media, which is how I met all three of them.]