Best Love & Romance Albums
Slow-burning soul and intimate records for a quiet night in — the albums to put on when it's just the two of you.
-
1Let's Get It OnMarvin Gaye
Let's Get It On
A landmark of sensual soul, lush and intimate, home to its iconic title track. Warm and influential. A genre cornerstone.
-
2Let's Stay TogetherAl Green
Let's Stay Together
Smooth, sensual Memphis soul defined by Green's falsetto and Willie Mitchell's warm production. The title track is a standard for good reason. A bedroom-soul cornerstone.
-
3VoodooD'Angelo
Voodoo
A slow-cooked, deeply musical neo-soul landmark built on loose, behind-the-beat grooves and Questlove's drums. It rewards patient, repeated listening. One of the genre's defining statements.
-
4Channel OrangeFrank Ocean
Channel Orange
A widescreen breakthrough of narrative R&B, from the sprawling 'Pyramids' to the tender 'Thinkin Bout You'. Warm, literate and assured. The album that made him a star.
-
5Diamond LifeSade
Diamond Life
Cool, sophisticated sophisti-pop and soul, defined by Sade Adu's restrained voice and 'Smooth Operator'. Timeless and elegant. A perfect debut.
-
63+3The Isley Brothers
3+3
A peak of funky soul and rock guitar, home to 'That Lady'. Smooth and influential. A 70s classic.
-
7Maxwell's Urban Hang SuiteMaxwell
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
A smooth, sensual neo-soul concept album that helped define the genre. Warm and cohesive. An influential debut.
-
8RaptureAnita Baker
Rapture
A smooth, sophisticated quiet-storm peak, home to 'Sweet Love'. Lush and huge. A genre cornerstone.
-
9I Want YouMarvin Gaye
I Want You
A lush, sensual concept album of slow-burning soul. Smooth and beloved. A high point.
-
10BlondeFrank Ocean
Blonde
An elliptical, gorgeous album of fragmented memory and feeling, stripped of obvious hooks in favour of mood and texture. Initially elusive, it becomes a favourite. A defining record of the 2010s.