Sade – “Soldier of Love”

Tempered by the rolling drums of a battlefield snare, this somber soul track stays cool and heavy-hitting despite rocking a relatively slow tempo. Lyrically it’s got a positive message, and Sade’s vocals rock the beat with a perfect combination of confidence and creaminess. It’s hip-hop, but it takes its time.

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Rains – “Look In My Eyes”

At first listen this track doesn’t sound like anything special, at least for the first 30-45 seconds, but it’s the hook that makes this song memorable. Running triplets roll into the rest of the chorus, creating a short of choppy-then-smooth effect that’ll have you rocking the off-beats like they were on-beats. That makes sense because we say it does.

Regina Spektor – “Us”

The opening track to (500) Days of Summer, this easy-breezy piano track is one part gorgeous, one part pretty, one part lovely, and—just for good measure—one part contagious. Spektor even says in the song, “It’s contagious,” so I mean, there you go.

Amazon Music