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Six Ways to Valentine: A Romantic Music Overview by Kristi Kates Romantic music is a highly subjective thing. Should it be slow and sweet, boisterous and exuberant, instrumental or chock-full of the most lushly lovelorn lyrics ever? If you really get desperate, you can always just log on to any online music service and type in the album title "Love Songs" - and, in a surprising disregard for originality (or is it just a universal acceptance of love really being all you need?), you'll find dozens of CDs with those words serving as the title, including sets from the likes of Etta James, The Carpenters, Elton John, Babyface, Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin, Aaron Neville, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Tom Jones, American Idol, Paul Simon, The Magnetic Fields, Cher, Jefferson Airplane, White Zombie, Nirvana, and even the king of Broadway cheese, Andrew Lloyd Webber. Love takes on many forms, and this just shows that many of them can be purchased for around $14.99. Then again, one woman's (or man's) romantic tune can be another's overblown schmaltz. Whether you're setting the scene for that perfect first date, a special dinner, a romantic road trip, or an anniversary celebration, the right music can help make the event a memorable one. So, Romeo (or Juliet), here are a few thoughts on putting together a romantic music collection for that all-important of romantic holidays - Valentine's Day, of course - a half dozen plans of action that'll hopefully bring out the cupid in both you and your significant other. 1. Try The Old Standbys. With some musicians, just the mention of their name recollects romantic evenings. Many of them are from years long past, but they still pack just as strong a romantic punch as they did in their heyday.
It's a nice change from today's pop radio to fire up a set or two of tunes from these artists, many of whom set the bar for those, like Harry Connick Jr. and Natalie Cole, who came later and hit their own level of soulful, classic success. Hey, there's a reason they're called "standards," after all. 2. Jazz Things Up
Much along the same lines, a mix of great romantic jazz tracks is another step away from the norm that shows both an eye for the different and a sense of sophistication. Many of today's new jazz artists fuse nicely with yesterday's greats on mixes, beautifully taking things to a jazzy downbeat that's perfect for this most hearts-and-flowers filled holiday. Try something from Norah Jones (her newest album comes out on February 10th, just in time for Valentine's Day), Diana Krall (both "The Look of Love" and "Love Scenes," her collaboration with Christian McBride, are great choices), Cassandra Wilson (whose smoky voice and unusual approach adds a bit of R&B to the jazz scene), Miles Davis (the mellow "Sketches of Spain" and "Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet" are two must-haves), Chet Baker (although his "My Funny Valentine" album is, again, the obvious choice, "The Best of Chet Baker Sings" is a close second.) Another great, non-cliched approach to your Valentine's Day background music. 3. Stroll Down Memory Lane Did you and yours swoon to the big dance scenes in "Strictly Ballroom," where the two leads rehearsed over and over again to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time?" Maybe it's the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack that made you and your date feel like Johnny and Baby. Was there a bad bar band playing Guns n' Roses covers the first time you spied each other across a crowded room? Did you listen to the entire Nirvana "Unplugged" album 6 and a half times while road-tripping to Florida? Or maybe you were at your sister's school performance of "Annie" when you caught each other's eye over little Susie belting out "Tomorrow." Even if you were just watching Ruben Studdard belt it out on "American Idol" when you realized you were meant for each other, the tune is what you'll remember. Doesn't matter what the song, genre, or tempo is if it's tied to that perfect memory - it'll mean something to the two of you, and that's what counts. So crank it up. 4. Say It Without Words Samuel Barber's "Romantic Adagios." Giacomo Puccini's "Evening Passions." Pierre Boulez' "Romeo et Juliette." Joshua Bell's "Romance of the Violin." The many albums of Windham Hill. Those are just a few to get you started - but whether you and yours love true classical music, wordless jazz, or even something from the new age bin, it's the absence of lyrics that stand out here. Some movie soundtracks - like the instrumental soundtracks for "Chocolat," the Mackinac Island-filmed "Somewhere in Time" with its score by John Barry, or (with the exception of the one Bryan Adams-sung song - just hit "skip") the soundtrack of "Don Juan De Marco" - even fit beautifully into this category, making the instrumental choice the perfect backdrop for conversation and those inevitable wordless romantic gazes. 5. Play Favorites Now here's where you sacrifice your preferences for those of the one you love (or the one you're wooing, whatever the case may be.) So, you like Limp Bizkit and she prefers Sarah McLachlan? You love Evanescence and he has every single thing that Dave Matthews has ever recorded? Well, it's time to think of the greater good here - at least for Valentine's Day. You've gotta think ahead for this one - take a browse through his CD collection while he's gone out to pick up the pizza. Or start up a conversation about what concerts she's been to, and who she'd really love to see. Latch on to these clues, and with a little more spy work, you'll be able to jot down an extensive list of your chosen one's faves. Now you've just got to buy, borrow, or download as many tracks by these artists as you can find, burn 'em on to the perfect Valentine's Day mix CD - and won't your significant other be surprised when your dinner music consists of track after track by his or her favorite musicians, arranged, of course, in perfect order by none other than you. And, as a last resort... 6. Pull Out The Cheese Lionel Richie and Diana Ross singing "Endless Love." Whitney Houston singing any of her love ballads. Anything by Enrique Iglesias, Michael Bolton, Yanni, Bread, Air Supply, Boyz II Men, RIchard Marx, or Chicago. Power ballads by REO Speedwagon, Winger, or Guns n' Roses. You get the idea. It's got everything you wouldn't want on a regular basis - predictable guitar chords, cliched or sappy lyrics, melodramatic singing, outdated keyboard sounds. But sometimes your love is just so overwhelming, only the wailing of Celine Dion will do. Happy Valentine's Day.
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