When you´ve overdosed on soft pop and brazilian reissues of the sixties, well, you need something else. So, how about an alt-country concept record, sort of, on child abuse ? Now, don´t runaway because Mountain Goats singer/songwriter John Darnielle is in my opionon the antidote of all the other, look at me how authentic i am singer/songwriters, that have seem to have regular subscriptions in mojos review department. There is a sense of urgency in darnielles songs that he writes songs because he has to. Taken from a fine album overall,The sunset tree, "This year" is the stand out track with a chorus to seek comfort from in the darkest of times; "i am gonna make it through this year if it kills me".

Soft melody, breathy female vocals, bells, catchy rhythm.

Watch the music video.

A beautiful, soft, sad, fragile piece about a couple breaking up and bursting into tears as they do. Incredible for its intimate feel and sparse instrumentation (voice, organ, harmonica, egg shaker) chilling lyrics 'you close your eyes but there's no paradise, you count the cost of all we've lost and all we've wasted'. It hits the nail bang on the head! Love it to bits.

If you like your pop, soft and acoustic with witty lyrics, then check this out! 'I'd give up all my selfish little dreams to be in hers' coos ANT over a strummed acoustic, brushed snare drum and tinkling Wurlitzer piano.

Had it been released under different circumstances, this song might have been one of the enduring soft-rock classics of the early 70s. It's got a catchy, haunting melody and one can easily imagine it charting alongside Bread or Seals And Crofts or whoever.

Best Of Friends were essentially the East Coast-based songwriting/guitar duo of Bing Bingham and Joe Knowlton. I'm not sure how, but Eumir Deodato and legendary bossa nova producer Roberto Quartin took a shine to them and recorded this album for Brazilian release on Quartin's eponymous experimental label of the early 70s. The album even features Dom Um Romao on drums. It's actually a straight-forward pop-rock album of its era, with little to no Brazilian overtones. This same duo would later make an album on RCA as "Joe And Bing."

This title track was also covered by Astrud Gilberto on her 1972 "Now" LP, arranged by (coincidence?) Mr. Deodato himself....

This song of this crazy girl's is really cool. She's like playing during the whole song. Very soft song but at the same time full of energy. Very eclectic, very original, very surreal, very Björk!!

'Bright Eyes' O'Connor Oberst is a gifted lyricist and probably the best for his age (19 at record release). With his literary references and unconventional recording, listening to Bright Eyes is quite an experience. In this instance we meet the protagonists of the novel, 'The Unberable Lightness of Being,' and find in their weightlessness the desire to escape. Slow acoustic struming by O'Conner steady his intense vocals and between the chimes and reverberating forte piano we experience a disjointing storm used to great effect. The song has us drifting at sea with a delicate melody until we are at last erased like a skeleton in chalk. Bright Eyes sings - 'Let's sail away disappearing in a mist. Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss. Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas, suspended in this bliss.' We feel his expressive words and sound pass through us, and late in the day we find it echoing softly in our heads. Quite an accomplishment for someone who couldn't drink yet, I look forward to following his career.

acoustic guitar, soft sounding song but it has very strong vocals performed by Bryon Mack.
I like the song because it has a very pleasing melody and the vocals can really be felt, they aren't just heard.

Do you like soft rock? Belle & Sebastien? 60's pop?

If you answered yes to the above, this song (and the whole album) is a must listen. Twee vocals, cheeky lyrics, delicate harmonies and the occasional trumpet solo fill out a song about a schoolgirl crush gone wrong.

Quite simply a perfect song for lying in a grassy field watching the sun set.

A beautiful piece of soft pop. Ok, it's corny - the chord sequence is kind of soppy and the lyrics are kind of obvious, but the arrangement and singing are so lovely that I can listen to this song again and again. Opening with a catchy picked acoustic guitar riff, the arrangement soon thickens with with a full orchestra. The singing is deadly serious and amusingly precious throughout the song, and the orchestral arrangement, heavy on oboes and flutes as well as strings, is anything but hip. Still, the song’s simplicity and innocence are really quite charming. I never really got into any of Chad and Jeremy's other songs nearly so much as this one, so any recommendations for similar songs would be welcome. Do me a favor and listen to this and tell me if I’m crazy to love it so much.

This is one of the supreme examples of the ballad genre that Cilla Black excelled in during the 1960s. An exquisite song of love gone wrong, the track demonstrates the full depth, quality and range of Cilla's extraordinary voice - from the delicate soft tones to the full powered belt. A huge hit for Cilla in 1965, reaching #5 in the UK Top 40.

I first discovered this track on Connie's box set "Souvenirs." An impassioned soft start builds to a frenzy of despair. A snazzy, kick-ass band backs Connie (Don Costa arrangement, I think???). Liza would have loved to sink her teeth into this one!

The mother of all 'Jet Society' themed songs. Play this at your penthouse-apartment cocktail party and you'll most likely score a free layover with one of the air stewardesses. The choice of a lone laidback trumpet over piano chords is excellent. Mix in a soft percussion beat and you're all set. Come to think of it, phone up your friends and invite them over for cocktails in the grotto.

cubismo grafico's (matsuda gakuji) current output leans heavily towards new wave and other general 00 trendy sounds, but 'sequenced time' sounds more like the soft pop rock stuff with his other band neil and iraiza. one chord piano and sequenced drums, simple, sparse and sounding very much like a quiet night in the city.

Cyrkle recorded the soundtrack to this X-rated adult film in 1967 -- only shortly after after their biggest hit, the Paul Simon-penned "Red Rubber Ball." The film didn't screen until 1969. Judging from the title track, it is a pretty cool score and maybe not what I would expect. Soft, almost bossa acoustic guitar and wordless ba-dum-dum vocals that could of come off of a Gary McFarland record. Supposedly, Cyrkle appear in the film as well.

I saw a video of this a couple times on MTV and never forgot it. I finally caught up with the album "Meet Danny Wilson" years later, in a used bin. None of the three members are named Danny Wilson; it's named after a Frank Sinatra movie. They dress like Sinatra fans as well, and the music's influenced by that era, but it's pure new-wavy piano pop. Reminds me of Joe Jackson, but softer, more romantic. "Lorraine Parade", "Nothing Ever Goes To Plan", and "Steamtrains To The Milky Way" are also album highlights.

ONe of those emo whispered tracks with romantic words.
Sample: I am fairly agile I can bend and not break or I can break and take it with a smile.
It's soft and sweet and you can just imagine someone singing it to you on a balcony at night. I'm just a big dumb romamtic so sue me

The sweet soft voice of joanne Robertson makes a really cool contrast with the graspy and kinda dark voice of Dean Blunt plus the classical guitar playing chords that sounds like the end of a movie or a sunset. IDK it just sounds pretty cool, one of my favorites songs of my life.

Another haunting song, Soul Meets Body is beautiful. "You're the only song I want to hear, a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere . . ." I like where this genre of modern rock is evolving, it's rather unique, definitely going to buy this album and see what else it has on it.

A heavenly pop vocal track, one of the last tracks ever recorded by Dino, Desi and Billy. The production (by Stu Phillips, who did the Hollyridge Strings and some cool soundtracks) is dreamy and soft, perfectly matching the idealized lyrics (the world seems so wonderful...etc).

This song features a wonderfully simple instrumentation with strings and hawaiian guitar on a soft disco rhythm. Makes me long for some deserted island beach.

Beneath the avant-garde lyrics and futuristic synth textures, there was always a pulsing dance music quality that drove the classic Duran Duran sound. As they progressed into the late '80s, they allowed that dance element to move up front and dominate their style. A good example of this tactic is "Skin Trade," a hit whose silky and funky style led to it being mistaken for a Prince song. The lyrics have a surprisingly direct, soul-searching feel to them as they lay out scenarios of people shortchanging their dreams to make money. These moments are followed with the dramatic proclamation that makes up the chorus: "Will someone please explain/The reasons for this strange behavior?/In exploitation's name/We must be working for the skin trade." The music lends contrast to the angry tone of the lyrics by creating a sultry, mellow melody that juxtaposes verses with a soft, hypnotic ebb and flow with an ever-ascending chorus that revs up the song's inherent drama. Duran Duran's recording is fuelled by funky but gently layered guitar textures and subtle drum work that push its groove along, plus some atmospheric synth textures on the chorus. Interestingly, Simon LeBon uses his normal tenor voice for the choruses but sings much of the verses in a lush, soulful falsetto that led many pop fans to initially mistake "Skin Trade" for a Prince ballad. The result was a perfect blend of slow-dance textures and adult social critique. It didn't do as well as "Notorious," just barely making the Top 40 in the U.S., but it got plenty of radio airplay and is fondly remembered by the group's fans as one of Duran Duran's most mature achievements of the late '80s.
(AMG)

One of ENs less soft tracks. It's simple and kind of sounds like a chant. It's very simple and one of my favorite EN songs of all time. Even if you're not into industrial I think you check it out.

This is an awesome song all around. I dig the lyrics and I especially love soft voice with the contrasting guitar sound.

Now, this here is a young, local band consisting four siblings and a friend. I highly recommend that you check them out. You will not be disappointed.

His choice of lifestyle may have been questionable, yes. A prolific user of drugs and prostitutes, Elliot Smith was certainly not a healthy man physically or mentally toward the end of his life. What isn't questionable is the fact that Elliot Smith was an amazing, soulful, passionate musician. I don't really know why I picked Speed Trials. I suppose it's my personal favorite.
Suicide is a subject that always baffles me, and nothing hurts more to see a man with such beautiful music in his soul gone... especially at such a young age. What we do have, however, are the recordings of his maticulously constructed chord progressions, his sweet, wispy voice, and gorgeously poetic lyrics. Pieces of history we can all forever hold onto and remember him for how he may have affected each of our lives. I know his music certainly had an impact on mine. I will miss Elliott Smith.

A quasi-psychedelic throwaway from one of Elvis' later, cheesier movies. This song in particular gets a bad rap because it's presented in an ultra-campy dream sequence with groovy go-go dancers writhing and a man pouncing about in a dog costume. But I'm addicted to the song itself, which has a gorgeous arrangement with harpsichords, punchy trumpets and pillow-soft backup vocals by The Love Generation (who also sang on The Partridge Family's hits). And Elvis' vocal performance is more gutsy than you would imagine at this stage in his career. Worth seeking out!

The "Softrock Drivin'" series is a terrifically compiled collection of japanese soft rock and bossa nova gems from the late 60s/early 70s. And it clearly shows that the japanese interest in all kinds of easy listening music wasn't solely influenced by contemporaries like Burt Bacharach but by native artists as well. This track by Emma Sugimoto is a delightfully light and fluffy piece of japanese pop and sounds like a blueprint for some kind of "Shibuya-Kei" track artists like Pizzicato Five could have produced. With shimmering strings, harpiscord embellishments, slightly funky electric guitar and a wonderful trumpet on top. With the clear, transparent production and fine arrangement it's a true standout track of the series.

Another wonderful Morricone piece. Taken from the first Dario Argento movie "L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo ", this track has all the typical Morricone trademarks of that time. The first bars of the song would easily be mistaken for an early Jobim song, kicking off with a soft bossa nova style drum pattern and accoustic guitar, but when strings and melody joins in, with lyricless la-la-la female voices, this is definitively Morricone.

This bizarre Morricone pop tune sounds as if it came from a parallel universe. With an instrumental mix of guitar, harpsichord, bass and drums, it achieves the same kind of spooky, melancholic atmosphere as 'Deep Down', another Morricone film song from the same year. But in contrast to Christy's passionate vocal in 'Deep Down', Peter Bloom's delivery is light-hearted and much more low-key. Both tracks feature classic Morricone wordless vocal effects and some truly ridiculous lyrics. I haven't seen Partner, but I'd be interested to see how this song fits in to the story:

"I want to be your dazzling white knight
I'll splash you sizzling cool with bright light

I'll kiss your cleanliness
...Your soft, silkiness
Oh what happiness:
It's biological...

SPLASH
DASH
FLASH"

Ridiculous words, but the arrangement makes the track genuinely powerful. Shame Ennio didn't bring this one out for the crowd at the Royal Albert Hall last year.

A remake of the Paul Simon song, Erin Bode takes the words and adds a soft, jazzy sound to it.

A fabulous acid-pop masterpiece featuring one of the most intriguing intros in pop history. Everything I love about psychedelic pop made in the US in the late 6t's comes together in Mrs. Bluebird: the softly mythical, escapist feeling that the harmony and orchestration bring into this music. I frequently use it as a getaway. I think indulging in this music is not sad but it shows you've got the means to make you happy. This song is a Curt Boettcher (The Millennium, Sagittarius) production that cannot have been made while under the influence of drugs!!

Along with same of their other recordings, this one personifies the era. Some like to define those years with acid rock, but the softer sounds are the ones we remember. I was a radio jock in Biloxi and drummer Roy Whitaker even record jocked for me at WLOX between gigs. I would love to contact some of these guys again.

Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn in the early eighties were recording the same Bossa oriented songs that made "Sade" famous, but with more talent. Eden was their first album, both had recorded songs before for Cherry Red (a UK label) but to be on a major label Gave them the opportunity to really arranged their songs. Each and everyone opens the album with magnificence.
As soon as the second album the magic was lost, EBTG was just another name on the Warner catalogue.

An all-instrumental piece (three clean-tone electric guitars, one drummer) with loud-soft rock dynamics and the sort of build up that one expects from a band influenced by Mogwai and the other 'post-rock' kids. Perhaps the most romantic song I know. If you like three riffs overlapping and complementing each other, check this song out.

Great chord sequence...melodic shrieking vocal...magic instrumentation - one of my favourite soft(ish) rock songs. An under-appreciated gem from the Foreigner oevre which I'm certain will attract many musical tasters.

You might be familiar with Francoise's incredible 1971 album La Question, a track from which was recommended by another user almost four years ago (Oui, je dis adieu). I managed to get a friend to copy the album for me at the time, and I recall being very taken by 'Viens', the first song. I put this track on a compilation but somehow never really savoured the album as a whole.

Recently I found I could get the album on CD, so picked it up (along with another interesting Francoise album, 'If you listen').

The difference for me now I have the CD is vast, and I'm now able to appreciate the album in all its glory. The clincher for me is the blend of percussive Brazilian guitar, beautiful strings, and the Melody Nelson-style sparseness of the arrangements.

I chose this track to recommend because of the bizarre extra dimension brought by the fact that Francoise is just scatting - there are no words - and the intermittent moments of complete silence, which are surprising and really hold the attention. Parts of the chord sequence remind me of Henry Mancini (in particular, a track called 'Softly' from the Mr Lucky soundtrack), while the overall effect of the sexy echoey vocal naturally brings to mind Ennio Morricone's work with Edda Dell'Orso.

From a career supplying funky/hunky, cheezy/sleazy grooves to a series of late Sixties/early Seventies German soft-core flicks, Gert recently apeared on "Eurotrash"...perfect music for when you're feeling a little "saucy", in the European parlance.

The song really portrays the heartbreak of the character, and the murky, unforgiving sea which he has committed to. You can almost see and hear the ocean, and feel the main character as he reflects upon what he's become and what he's lost. The instrumentation is spot on. Like any good post-metal group, every instrument has its say, and everything's beautifully balanced.

There's movement in the song where the main character and his former lover exchange words, presumably over a distance, where the torment and pain of the situation is palpable. The song, and the album's concept in general, really hits my soft spot for stories of pain and failure, and the proverbial fall from grace. It also invokes great imagery.

From a time when soul was shaking hands with disco,on this beautiful midtempo ballad the two genres are happy to live in a harmony.This is a track that is allowed to build upon a soft disco beat layer by layer ,a deceptive melody allows optimism to drip drip then flood your senses,leaving you feeling good about life and for once a song that is as long as you want it to be.A song that somehow takes you high without leaving its musical ground .

This track is pure, unadulterated soft rock/sunshine pop heaven. This could easily be mistaken for a lost Association gem with beautifully arranged vocal harmonies by Hi-Los'Clark Burroughs, who, in fact, also produced "Never My Love" and "Windy" (and the rest of the "Insight Out" album for The Association). Combined with a slightly baroque sounding harpsicord, organ, xylophone embellishments and highly idealistic lyrics it makes a lovely piece of sunhsine pop.

This song is softer than what I normally enjoy but I find it pretty addicting.

Better than the avalanches. Few other tracks have made me so glad this year than this song from Japans Handsomeboy Technique. It is virtually the same formula as the avalanches; collage pop from soft rock, disco,hip hop, girl groups etc but with much better song structures than the ava. The album adelie land is also recommended.

This is a slow, sultry, intimate piano-led song that makes a remarkable contrast to the frosty "Isadora" (q.v.) off the same LP, despite both songs having basically the same acoustic guitar / bass / drums / piano / vocals lineup. The difference between this kind of soft-rock and, say, the Carpenters, is that the latter were schmaltzy beyond endurance while Illusion provided the genuine article ...

"Face Of Yesterday" was recorded earlier by Renaissance on their "Illusion" LP, which gave its name to this group, which was actually mostly the same Renaissance lineup (with Jane Relf and Jim McCarty) before the Camp / Dunford / Thatcher group took over Renaissance. I know, I know, you can't follow the players without a scorecard in this case ...

Close Up And Reak is a lovely album but this is my favourite track. It's a bittersweet tale of a person's (possibly Jane's), gradual loss in humankind. The song opens with a wailing violin which then introduces a soft, acoustic blanket of intsrumentation topped with Jane's wistful vocals.

The title of this Sommers/Almeida album is spot on: gentle, soft arrangements by Laurindo Almeida, simple yet effective with guitar and lush strings, embellished with flutes, harps and vibes and Joanie Sommers' vocals dominantly on top of it.

Fantastic piece of gentle soft rock, filled with simple and effective bittersweet lyrics. Soundwise, delicado appropriately described it in his review as a "cooler and classier take on the Chad & Jeremy sound with superior performances, songwriting and arrangements". I can absolutely subscribe to that description, the whole album is a long lost softrock gem.

A spoken word splurge of bile and vitriol over a deceptive soft funk backing,Calrke,s menacing sardonic tone berates the effects of Thatcherism on the very bottom of the pile ,the picture painted is grim and at times horrific but always compelling ,it would be misleading to give a taste of it here it needs to be heard mainly for entertainment but secondly as a concise social document of the UK at this bleak time .

This is an "excelente" version of Billy Joel's version of "Just The Way You Are". This album was recorded in 1977, beginning his era with BMG/ Ariola records. The executives, happy to have a performer like JOSE JOSE, provided him with the best musicians, numbers and producers of the time. Included in this album are 2 numbers by Mexico's greatest: Juan Gabriel ("Ya lo pasado, pasado" & "Ahora No !"). Among others credited are Napoleon ("Lo que no fue, no sera"), Adan Torres("Almohada"). Of the 10 numbers included, 7 were top ten hits in Mexico, Colombia and the U.S. Leaving disco to other performers that needed to launch their productions to the international market, Jose Jose's album is just pure old-fashioned latin love songs, songs still heared today.

The opening track off Koop's already classic and eponymously titled album, truly a shining example of sampled neo-lounge jazz music. Very floating, daydream like atmosphere with a looped stand-up bass riff, gentle, shimmery strings, analogue keyboard sounds and some electronic embellishments. With breezy, breathy and soft vocals provided by Cecilia Stalin on top of it.

This gorgeously ominous ditty seems to borrow [intentionally?] more than a little from The Creatures' ode to alcoholic decadence "2nd Floor", but even by Siouxsie and Budgie's standards this is a grim little number. Sort of the title track to the LP - "Witching hour...soft power", the chorus goes - this song evidences the group's successful movement away the explicit influences of The Human League/Fad Gadget/Soft Cell/etc. toward a sort of synth-heavy post-punk along the lines of The Scars, Tuxedomoon, Family Fodder and/or The Banshees' "Kaleidoscope" LP. The melody is beautiful, and the lyrics - full of images of monster glamour girls nightclubbing the rest of world to death - are creepy as fuck.

One of my favorite vocal jazz sides. Annie Ross tears through this swingin' tune about adolescent madness : " My analyst told me, that I was right out of my head/The way he described it, I would be better dead, than live/ I didn't listen to his jive!..." Really just a corker of a tune! Makes you do the soft-shoe across the room... Their debut LP is full of great stuff, and is available on CD for super cheap!

This one has really been haunting me. I recently heard this rare and sought after album, and was entranced by the opening track, a devastating vocal. Although Lani Groves sings in English, in a style very similar to Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, I knew that this was a Brazilian track that I had heard before.

Researching a song with as generic a title as 'I want your kiss' is hard though, and with no knowledge of who the composer was, most of the search engine results were soft porn stories. After a while I threw on Elis Regina's first album, Samba - eu canto assim, and happily found the information I was looking for. The original Portuguese song is called 'Sou sem paz', and was written by Adylson Godoy, who may or may not be the same person as Amilton Godoy, who was the pianist in the Zimbo Trio.

After all my research, I was disappointed to learn that this song has hardly ever been recorded; the only versions I know of are this and those by the Zimbo Trio and Elis Regina.

Trivia aside, this is a nice fusion of several of my musical passions. The chord sequence is unusual, delicate and surprising, and the vocal is passionate. I think it would be fair to say that Lani Groves doesn't have quite Elis's passionate delivery, but for me this is offset by the beautiful backing arrangement, featuring some great organ playing.

It's taking me a while to get a handle on Love. Some songs I really like, but some I just can't get engaged in. This song, composed not by Arthur Lee but by bandmate Bryan Maclean, is perhaps my favorite Love song so far. [Turns out my other favorite Love original, "Alone Again Or," is also a Maclean composition. Go figure.] This track's tone is different from what I've heard in the band's other stuff. Softer and poppier, more along the lines of my favorite tracks by Eternity's Children, Free Design, or somebody like that. I love the way the flute just sort of floats over the whole song.

Yet another amazing Spanish version of an amazing song. Luis Miguel is a very suave latin crooner and this song especially demonstrates that. I love the late 80's instrumentation, it reminds me of late night in New Year City.

If You have a good hi fi system seriously set up with good speaker cable and good interconects and your taste is smooth jazz. this lady is wonderful. Just piano double bass and drums hear. The detail in this CD recording is brilliant. every light touch the drummer makes you can pick it out. the track i have picked is the title its soft haunting and rather special have a listen.

http://www.jazzweek.com/feature/article/7_000432.html

'Metal Warriors' is Manowar's call to arms, a joyous rallying cry to all the "Brothers of True Metal" of the world. Stand tall and proud, they implore, for the magic of the metal has brought you here. The power within each and every one unites them, and to exclusion of everybody else ("if you're not into metal, you are not my friend!"). Anyone that tries to suppress their might will be met with fearless defiance, "we don't turn down for anyone, we do just what we please!". And they live and die metal, and will not tolerate fakes and frauds and softies, "heavy metal, or no metal at all, wimps and posers, leave the hall!" rings out the epic chorus, "heavy metal, or no metal at all, wimps and posers� go on get out!"

So, anyway, put your reservations aside and head out into the streets to find this one, just this one*, awesome, thumping Manowar track. Spinal Tap were playing for laughs, this however, is frighteningly real.

*although 'Achilles, Agony, and Ecstasy in Eight Parts: Prelude/I. Hector Storms' their 30 minute interpretation of Homer's Iliad is certainly worth a listen.

If there has been any really great re-discoveries in brazilian music as of late, Marcos Valle is one of them. The Samba 68' record is one of the few he gave to the USA, and we should be grateful!

This has to be THE most endearing duet I have ever heard. MV's wife of the time, Anamaria,joins him in a walk on the Impanema beach... hands clasped in the evening moonlight,stopping only to say to themselves "To look at delicious you, and know that it's all for me..." and continue their thoughts of possible love..." And you'd feel as I do, if you knew what I knew..."A childlike two-finger piano line emphasizes the naiveity of a young couple so eloquently and poignantly... against a backdrop of waves crashing softly from a string quartet....A song you'll never forget.

some soft music like this :)

Incredibly breezy, silky smooth and gentle sounding tune this one. With a laid back samba rhythm, male/female wordless vocals some soft strings in the backround and some electric and acoustic guitars thrown in, this track is a great example for Martin B�ttchers superior talents as arranger and orchestrator. The whole compilation "Sound Kaleidoscope" is very well done, featuring 25 tracks from the mid 60s to the mid 70s. Highly recommended.

Just discovered this cover of the Neil Diamond song on Youtube, along with several other videos by the Music Machine, and it really stunned me. It's a beautiful soft pop version of "Cherry Cherry" complete with flute solo-nothing like the other songs I've heard from the band. Nothing garagey about it at all, more in the easy listening vein...and I mean that in a good way!

Another great cover version that the Music Machine do is "Hey Joe"-their's is my favorite version of that oft-recorded chestnut.

You can't go wrong with NIN, and you certainly can't go wrong with NIN and a piano.

The soft piano element and Trent Reznor's voice make for a beautiful combination, underscoring a melancholy contemplation of self. The song, like much of the album, is a very reflective examination of Reznor in his older years. I think it's powerful stuff, especially when the song trails off into the rhythmless void of "Corona Radiata."

I know it's almost unbelievably corny, but I've always had a soft spot for this classic cycle of 5ths based number, particularly in this, its original version.

-soft at first, has rock-ish bridges and soft ones too!
-melodic voice, really smooth
-male singer

One of the best groups immersed in the second wave of Italian progressive bands. They were able to fluidly combine classical and avant-garde elements in an involving manner with electric and acoustic instruments complemented by light, soft vocals. Arturo Stalteri piano, organ, spinet, cembalo, synth, glockenspiel, acoustic guitar, recorder, tambourine, violin Gaio Chiocchio electric & acoustic guitar, mandoline, harpsicord, synth, shaj baja, zither tirolese, sitar, bell Jacqueline Darby voice This group was formed by piano virtuoso Arturo STALTERI , it reminds me of Schoenberg+Ennio Morricone goes to the prog church with a crisp broadcast-like vocalist (experimental). Sometimes it makes people want to skin cats.

A soft-spoken paean to the dear-departed Syd Barrett (drowned in a psychedelic abyss), an acoustic lullaby weaving a dreamscape cocoon, a hymn to self-destruction. Too heart-breakingly beautiful for the living: Play this at my funeral.

Try listening to this song really late at night. Mmm.

Also, check out both of their full albums: No Kill No Beep Beep and Different Damage.

"Somebody to Love" is quite possibly my favorite song by Queen, one of my favorite bands in the world. For some reason, this song brings memories of lead singer Freddie Mercury, his energy, his style and his beautiful voice, even though I was only 4 years old when he died of AIDS in 1991.
This song is definitely one of Queen's best, if not one of the greatest songs ever written and performed. The most impressive part is near the end, when all is quiet, and all of the sudden Queen begins singing "Find...me...somebody to lo-ove..." very softly, and crescendoes with clapping and stomping and all kinds of uplifting musical tactics. It's just a magnificent song. My favorite part is when Freddie bursts out,
"I just gotta get out of this prison cell,
Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!
Find me somebody to love!"

Soft-rock magic. This song is breathy, light, and perversely sad-sounding. Maybe wistful is the word. The album is in the finest Free Design-sounding tradition, including covers of Beatles, Bacharach, Paul Simon, "Sally Go Round The Roses," and such top-shelf originals as this. Truly splendid.

The lyrics and the instrumental composition truly envelop the listener immediately. It's a soft song, so it can be easily tuned out, but really pay attention to the lyrics and the background music and the story truly enfolds before your eyes.

The song has a soft piano/banjo/orchestra backround. The music flows through the heart with a soft melancholic note. Her voice reminds me of a sad cashier and a movie star combined. She isn't like any other singer i've ever heard. The lyrics related to me extremely well and made me truly smile. It truly is a beautiful song

This is my most favorite song in the world. I love it because it is a classic, latin, late 1970's, sultry, soft, dinner party or alone-with-someone-special type of track. The instrumentation is not totally typical of latin music (fast rhythm, very ornate), it is soft and easy. The vocals are absolutely velvety and very sensual. Although it is a "sad" song, it is one of those songs that makes you want think about that special certain someone.

The perfect example of the kind of soft pop song I love. Heavy with melencholy. The strings and clarinet on this track break my heart. The fadeout is one of the greatest in history.

It's hard not to smile when you hear this lovely, rousing late 60s number. Roger Nichols is the composer (along with Paul Williams) of many late 60s and 70s hits for, amongst others, The Carpenters. He wrote this song with 'Pet Sounds' lyricist Tony Asher, and they created a beautiful combination of sunny soft pop sounds (handclaps, brass, group harmonies) and pleasing, happy words. Musically, it is superior and extra-catchy, with nice Bacharach-esque touches and great instrumentation. The lead vocal also deserves a mention for sounding almost supernaturally brilliant (far better than it sounds in the sound sample). The singer is Melinda Macleod; her voice is lovely anyway, but here it sounds as if 3 perfect takes have been somehow overlaid on top of each other to produce an incredibly rich, soothing effect. It's over quickly - in just over two minutes. At which point I normally listen to it again a few times.

The pinnacle of soft pop! And I can't imagine it not being followed up by "kinda wasted without you"! Twin peaks! Vinyl buffs are at a disadvantage there, you have to get up quickly for the side change to experience the epiphany, and deal with the "pops-and-crackles" chiaschuro instead of "sterile" atomic clock mastering. Also included, my favorite version of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Cocoanut Grove", even better than the one by David Lee Roth! Well, I probably lost a few of you on that one. Roger Nichols went on to later fame and fortune as Paul Williams' songwriting partner on several smash singles, mostly by the wrongly-maligned Carpenters. After that, engineering on all of the Steely Dan albums. Not too many superstar engineers, but on those albums, it was notable. Fagen'n'Becker dubbed him Roger "the Immortal" Nichols on some liner notes. Now he has a byline in some stereo mag, or so I am told.

This prog rock song is just truely amazing. I am yet to find someone who finds the soft melodic nature of it displeasing. I'd recomend it to anyone, enjoy...

i'm really starting to get into the sandpipers nowadays because of their amazingly clear, fluid sound. great 60s vocal pop song, this. flute, soft strings and some sweet understated harpsichord (or some electronic instrument) playing in the background. the bassline and percussion gives it a slight italian 60's soundtrack vibe. i love how it seems to constantly change its mood, epecially when it returns to form after the first flute part. there's even a bit in there that sounds like syd barret...

Cheesy beyond all belief, but one of the cutest tracks you could get from a band like Screeching Weasel. Lifting part of its chorus from the Flintstones, of all things, it encourages you to "let the sun shine in, and chase away your blues because smilers never lose and frowners never win". The elements differentiating it from the cartoon might make a big difference though. For instance, this track uses curse words and is seemingly directed towards a prostitute or rape victim.

For the Flintstones reference and everything, one might assume that this is a throwaway, jokey type track, but it's not. It's sung totally heartfelt, and the beat is killer.

Recommended for: punk fans with a soft side

Melody Nelson is probably one of the best serge gainsbourg albums.
he mumbles and sings about the fictional character Melody Nelson, a young red haired teenager.
the opening track 'Melody' would've almost been enough to fill an entire album with: it's full of bass, violins and soft drums but it never comes across as being over the top.
and that's what this album is: perfectly produced, orchestrated and beautiful...
beautiful, yet quietly disturbing.
"melody nelson" is a defining french album.

well, that's what i think anyway : )

pure bubblegum psychedelic soft pop, with lyrics about sucking on "lollipops". the most familiar version of this song is probably the one written for france gall, but i prefer the version where serge himself (in a great faux-na�ve manner)provides the vocals. the sugary strings of the original(?) are replaced by a great subdued wah wah guitar and organ backing on this version, and a lot of little touches wich help make the song a bit more bizarre and playful than the other version. nice for sunny picnics and bicycle rides in the countryside, eh?

A beautiful, soft version of the classic David song sung in Portueguese(sp?). It's only his voice and his guitar.

The song is from the movie 'Life Aquatic'. Wes ANderson asked Seu to translate 11 Bowie songs into Portueguese and perform them on the set.

Also has a personal thing to it for me.

This song is really nice.... Shelby's voice floats pillowy-soft above a lush, paced,jazz ensemble with vibraharp chiming chords alongside a heartbeat-like rhythym section.Her voice dipping down to touch it like a feather only to be lifted by the wind again... and again... A nice "Ode to a flower" almost in a hobbit rock mode, only without the schtik........

This is one of two that she wrote herself for (as far as I know) her only LP. The rest of the record is good, mind you. But the two songs she wrote are worth the price of the record. The other one is "Moonlight", which is an almost Stu Phillips-like bossa-nova...... Very pretty.

The Adrissi brothers look like they did some arranging, alongside Perry Botkin Jr., who did the two she wrote for the record. He's well known as an arranger and had done work with Harpers Bizarre, among others.

Good if you like A&M pop with folksy touches...

Claudine maybe?

A pop song of epic grandeur. Marc Almond's rather out of tune singing doesn't ultimately detract from what is a great song and a very good recorded performance. The synth player of the duo, Dave Ball, appears to have been a somewhat underrated pop genius.

I'm an 80s fan.

Relatively new. Great song all around. Fluctuates between load and soft, but overall it's pretty lively, but more importantly, not heavy.

this is perhaps my favorite jazz ballad. maybe the most romantic song you'll ever here. stan getz's saxaphone sounds like it came down from the clouds. it sounds so soft and warm. it's often so subtle that you here just air passing across the reed. and cal tjader's vibraphone adds just the right punctuation. the song is ethereal. romantic and ethereal are hardly words i use often, but they seem to be the best i could think of to describe this song.

I like this songs imagery and how it leaves so much unsaid, so the listener can relate it to themselves.
Apparently, the writer, (either Daryl Kromm or Drew Arnot, of Strange Advance) wrote this song from a dream he had. He described it as 'One of those wake up sweating dreams.'
The song is from their album 2wo, and is available on both 'Over 60 Minutes With Strange Advance' and 'Worlds Away and Back'.
However, niether of their first two albums, 'Worlds Away'(1982) and '2wo'(1985) are available on CD.

Song lyrics:

We Run

You're on your own and meet a friend
Who doesn't kill but wounds for life
The sun blinds you through the trees
While watching clues fall from the skies
And she smiles

Chorus

At the point of the knife
You never see anyone
How the strong will survive
At the end of their gun
We run...........

Frozen smiles for men returned
They never even left this place
She kissed me softly on the cheek
And a shadow cut across her face

Take heart the fountain of my life
Stone the victim to his knees
I've got scars for my mistakes
And now post atomic dreams
I dream...........

Chorus

At the point of the knife
You never see anyone
How the strong will survive
At the end of their gun
We run...........

I walked for miles and miles to the sea
we burned, the fire from the sun
I know you never tried to deceive
who can touch us when we run

Arguably one of the best reggae albums of all time, Super Cat's Don Dada is a fun, FUN, "get on de dance flo', mon!" fiasco of bass and high hats. Super Cat's soft and clear voice complements the music where some other rastas and their gritty voice would detract from it. You really can't lose with this album; every track is spectacular and irresistable. If you've never listened to reggae or just could never get into it, you might be able to appreciate Super Cat.

it grooves...soft rock style

If you had one of the premium movie channels in the 1980's, you may have happened across a late-night showing of the Softcore-Porn-Musical film "Cinderella". While several of the musical numbers are quite good and rather amusing, the best song (imho) is "Art to Zebras", performed by 'Fairy Godmother' (a stereotypical crossdressing gay black man). This song is basically a list of all of the items he has stolen from the townspeople... and being that the film was made in 1977, yes, it is a disco number. Definitely a relic of it's time but nonetheless a great number from one of the films I keep in my Guilty Pleasure Chest.

This reminds me of The Velvet Underground. Not musically in the slightest but just on one point - while absolutely great, paved the way for some awful copycats.

This is ultra-soft funk, luxuriating in comfort like the fluffy fur Striplin is wearing on the sleeve. Absolutely adorable, and so finely nuanced that it never cloys and just improves with repeated listening. It's hard to pick one song from this LP not just because they're all so damn brilliant but because each and every one of the songs sounds better nestled between their bedfellows.

Unfortunately this kind of style was robbed of all its subtlety and beauty in the 80's leading to the formula of soulless soul that began to proliferate. Enjoy this album for what it is; a creative apex between the decades.

slow, soft, nice tune, soft rock

soft, pop-rock. Itis simply beautiful. As good art should be, it is uplifting

The lead single from one of the Church's all time highs, the dark, powerful Priest Aura, "Ripple" was much like the album it came from - lengthy, with an emphasis on artistic impact rather than radio-friendly ease, charged with a feeling of impending, unnerving threat. The initial guitar chime and Steve Kilbey's singing may provide a familiar feeling for long-time listeners, but the edge of spite and conflict in the words carries through in the performance - Kilbey's not so much blending into the mix as suddenly slicing through it. The full arrangement almost has a touch of film noir threat to it, but not as much as the amazing chorus. Starting with a soft, almost sighed overdubbed vocal part like a mysterious signal, it literally does ripple up in the mix, sneaking up on the listener instead of turning into any kind of a singalong. It's the same approach as with "Under the Milky Way," but the air here is less elegant melancholia and more unsettling electric charge, extra guitar feedback carving arcs through the arrangement, instrumental breaks providing only short, temporary relief.
(AMG)

This is quite a serious question if you ask me, but then again, this might not concern too many people and unfortunately The Crooner isn't able to give an answer. But if you expect some mockingly ironic, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about mademoiselle Longet it surprisingly isn't. It's quite on the contrary actually, a heartfelt homage, though rhyming "footsteps on the sand" with "pussywillowland" might appear cheesy of course. The music itself is a fluffy piece of indie-pop with a bittersweet tone, with soft male vocals, soft synths, a great vibraphone playing throughout and some airy, well, Longet-esque female vocals in the background.

scratch in the sky is the name of the cryan' shames
album that came out in 1967 from these chicago soft/sunshine pop masters whom also added an amazing dash of psyche to all there recordings...
"a carol for lorelei" starts the album off with bells and association(ish) harmonies!! brilliant
ignore what allmusic.com said about this album they are fools the song writing is up to par with the beach boys and others.
if you dig the Association and The Millennium and other fine sunshine pop groups with that mellow groove get it now. the japanese import is worth the extra for the original back cover art work that the sundazed version didn't recreate faithfully. i love 'em

Almost ethereal in delivery, The Love Parade or The Dream Academy for that matter, never fit into the period it was happening in. Too early for the sixties revival, too different from new wave and MTV pop, the Dream Academy found fame with R.E.M. and college fans... just a little bit.
This is a very emotional piece of soft pop from 1986.

The Fleetwoods were an excellent vocal group from the late 50s and early 60s who are best known for 'Come Softly to Me' and 'Mr. Blue'. Both of these are 'classic' oldies tracks, evocative of the late 50s.

'Lonely is as lonely does' came late in their career, and actually sounds much more modern than its 1964 recording date would suggest. This is really a prototype of the 'soft pop' style that would become popular later in the 1960s. The composer, Chip Taylor, went on to write 'Wild Thing' and 'Angel of the Morning'.

The track opens with a nice picked guitar introduction. As in many of my favorite Fleetwoods tracks, Gary takes the lead vocal, with Gretchen and Barbara singing backing vocals. Gary has a very sincere voice. At the beginning the song sounds very routine, but there are some clever chord changes and some cool lyrics. My favorite line is 'As your tears fall, remember this: you're just a kiss away from happiness'.

Despite '2002 - A Hit Song's insistent chorus of "it's gonna be a hit, hit, hit!", by the end you're not convinced, "it's not gonna be a hit is it Free Designers?" "No� I'm afraid not Rum. To be honest it hasn't a hope in hell. Oh yeah we're bitter, of course we are, but, you know, when you're in the idiom of soft rock you can't get away with angst, you've got to maintain this 'pleasing' fa�ade, so that's why we sound so jolly, so 'up' on this song. But yeah, it's hard..." Yes, they may, as they sing, have "sealed it with a kiss" but the cracks show. And it's that that makes this song particularly memorable. It's fascinating to see the rips in their Peter Pan wonderland, a place where they usually spend their time flying kites, blowing bubbles, befriending dolphins. And so this palpable excitement you hear in their heady harmonies is not fuelled by a surefire optimism of success but by an almost delirious desperation, "hit, hit, hit, sure to be a hit, hit, hit, gonna make a hit, hit, hit" they sing, panting, shaking nervously, craving that big fix. The track is a flip-side to the Byrds' 'So You Wanna Be A Rock'N'Roll Star'. Both are bitter recipes for pop success but whereas the Byrds are pissed off that any talentless buffoon can follow their recipe to success get a hit, the Free Design are pissed that "We did all this last time, and it did not work!". I guess you have to suffer for your art, and maybe the Free Design were having too happy a time. Or maybe their hair didn't swing right or their pants weren't tight.

Rude in every way. Throbbing with self confidence, the gossamer soft voice of Leroy Sibbles builds with the music to a prolonged orgasm of strings [ORGASM: a collective term for stringed instruments when used in the Reggae style]. This is slow all night loving, crying out for a ten minute dub version to be looped ad infinitum, the which, alas, does not exist.

Although far removed from the adventurous group that had long ago dabbled in minimilist, almost avant-garde electronics, all these years later the Human League continued to take its pop seriously. "One Man in My Heart" could have been a total throwaway, a gloopy little love song without a single redeeming quality, beloved by grannies and tweenies, gag-inducing for those outside those age parameters. But the band obviously gave the number time and attention, and thus ensured that it can't be so easily dismissed. Inserting a much sampled electro effect into the intro, creating an intriguingly intricate rhythm, counterpointing swelling, lush synths with a palpitating '70s-styled organ, layering on vocals and harmonies, and conjuring up a romantic milieu flushed with delicate atmospheres, the group produced a love song unlike virtually all typical pop fodder. The work, effortless as it sounds on disc, paid off, and this 1995 single swept into the U.K. Top 15.
(AMG)

the only thing that could make "too" from the left bake any better would to have "walk away renee" and "pretty ballerina" on this album!
this is the best album better then the debut one even though most people don't think so and another thing the left bankes recording of desiree is a billion times better then the montage version!!
anyone who sayes different can not be trusted :)
one of my fav soft/sunshine albums dear god i love 'em :)

I love the "New Light" album by the Match. Such a perfect example of soft pop. I think these guys, along with The Small Circle Of Friends and The Free Design, are the perfect example of what harmonic soft pop sounds like. This track, with that great trumpet line, is just one of 14 classics on this album. I had heard some label in Korea was supposed to be re-issuing it but that was a long time ago.

I'm a sucker for soft lilting melodies, and I have to say, Justin Hayward always delivers on that. This song is just beautiful with lyrics that go "Time waits for no one at all, no not even you..Don't leave me driftwood on the shore" You get transported to some mythical time and place, that only Hayward can take you too.

the original version(?) of the song the 5.6.7.8`s played in kill bill. It`s a lot softer. and "reverb-yer". and in my opinion, better.

Late 60s mellow sunshine pop with amazing vocal harmonies, composed by the legendary Roger Nichols with lyrics written by his long-time partner Paul Williams. A very gentle, breezy and light tune, due to excellent arrangement/production by Nick DeCaro and Tommy LiPuma with a delicately sounding trumpet playing the main melody. Like many Nichols songs, it's soft and mellow while being full of longing and melancholia at the same time.

Ahhh...so many great Sandpipers songs to choose from. I'll recommend more later but for now I'll start with the title cut from their "Softly" LP. Superb production by the great Tommy Li Puma and arrangement by Nick De Caro. This track is a great example of what Li Puma added to bossa nova music. Primarily...lots of harpsichords. It's what I consider 'pop bossa nova" and is my favorite type. Once again, the Sandpipers vocals are peerless and this track just takes me away whenever I hear it. As do most of the Sandpipers material.

genius. from the guitar fueled intro, the clever lyrics and overall catchy tune. it could, but doesn't sound dated at all.

Early ninties dutch rock-pop in a velvet underground "Loaded" style.

Pully guitar, nice soft vocals, It's like Zora's Domain From The Legend Of zelda.

The song is one of the best songs I've heard from the genre of emo. For people that don't know emo is a rather new style of alternative, mixing both soft melodies with hard riffs, and compromising of both soft singing and ferocious screams. Thursday is a small group from N.J. Their sound is pretty original, well original in the sense that just about all emo bands are too small to be recognized. Both of Thursday's albums are excellent but if you want to get a taste of them check out This Side of Brightness.

This song is a wonderful cover of the song by Lee Hazlewood. Lots of lurid orchestration, lots of reverb and the soft, lilting voice of the Tinderstick's lead man, Stuart Staples. Very mellow. Nice with a glass of wine, in my opinion :o)

had this on a tape for ages and have recently found a japanese copy of the cd on impulse-awesome jazz/soft/easy vibes straight out of the free design school of harmonies-today [ a jefferson airplane cover i believe] is a jazzy/psych number that makes me half close my eyes and dream of places far away and times past-i would recommend the rest of the album too-all soft pop and sitar jazz...mush better than his fusion nonsense [bar the theme to starsky and hutch] from the 70's.the album is called the honey suckle breeze and is a revelation.

I love how upbeat but still soft this song is! The lyrics are incredible!

smooth, ambient, electronic sound + low, soft vocals.

It is beautiful, calm, mellow and airy. (why I like it)

It's rare when a song can make you cry, at least in my case. This one always seems to shake something loose inside, some glacier of residule emotions or something. Nevertheless, this song has that certain something for me. Written by the more than capable Mr.Webb,and brought to life by Walter Wanderley on electric harpsichord alongside Don Sebesky's crush-velvet arrangements.The vocalists sound like they did the whole piece in one take, without fixing anything,to give it this dreamy adolescent quality,bathed in swirling soft lights...This record is one of the best of the A&M/CTI collaborations, bringing the best of both worlds together seamlessly... Magic stuff!

Soft folk rock song. Beautiful, heartwarming, she has such a gentle voice.

Wilson Simonal's mix of Brazilian soft pop and soul cause him to be a pivotal figure in the growth of the "Black Rio" funk scene. This track, classed as one of Brazil's "soul standards" bounces along with a laid back groove, brass and cheekiness.

the softer side of industrial/experimental music. a repetitive blend of voice and samples which is ideal to listen to with headphones.