I’ve included Spotify links this week, for convenience.

1. “Mother’s Love” by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru. Whether you’re reading, praying, or walking city streets in springtime, this is the perfect tune to open you up to the world around you. The piano seems to be wandering through space, looking here and there with idle curiosity and occasional moments of reverent reflection.
   
   All of her recordings on the Ethiopiques Volume 21: Ethiopia Song album are quite good, for those interested exploring further.
   
   
2. Mes années Godard, a compilation of Chantal Goya’s songs recorded between 1964 and 1966. I’ve already praised “Tu m’as trop menti” in my post about Godard’s film, Masculin Féminin, in which Goya plays a lead role; but this is album has a lot more to offer than the decidedly “yé-yé” track from the Godard soundtrack.
   
   The album shows really wide range, from the delicate and folky “Pense pas trop,” to the Beatles-coded skiffle-and-mamba track “C’est bien Bernard,” to the straightforwardly Euro-romantic “Une écharpe, une rose.”
   
   But what is most surprising is the generous use of brass instruments and pipe organs throughout. The album is one that resists genre classifications, but the common thread is Goya’s articulate, refined vocals, which give a hint of emotional detachment behind intimate and profound lyrics.
   
   At times quite moving, at times rocking hard, I recommend exploring.
   
   
3. “La Declaración” by El Zar. This song has a four-on-the-floor 70’s disco groove and bass line to it that draws you in immediately, and it has an almost boyband-esque sincerity to it that is somehow less off-putting in Spanish. Great for head bobbing and foot tapping. I have been enjoying this one for several weeks now.