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Chilled Soul Vol. 9

Fifty-six tracks with an unusually high proportion of singers who were, at the time, entirely unknown outside their own city.

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Chilled Soul Vol. 9

The ninth volume sits at the point where the series' taste crystallises. The production values are consistent — live-sounding, warm, uncluttered — and the selections come from an international spread of artists who had almost no commercial profile.

What is notable in retrospect is the ratio. Roughly two-thirds of the artists here never became famous, and the set still holds up completely, which is the strongest possible argument for this kind of curation.

What to listen for

Thirdstory appears twice, and they are the discovery: a New York trio built on three-part harmony in a decade that had almost entirely abandoned it. "Only Love" is the pick.

Seinabo Sey also appears twice — a Swedish-Gambian singer with an enormous, church-derived voice, and "I Owe You Nothing" is one of the best records on the list.

Frank Ocean's "Moon River" is the bravest inclusion. Taking the Audrey Hepburn song and rendering it as a layered, almost formless vocal piece is not an obvious move, and it is remarkable.

Jesse Boykins III's "Earth Girls" is the veteran left-field entry, and Jamila Woods' "Holy (Reprise)" is the Chicago one.

Tony Succar's "Can't Help It" with Judith Hill is the most unexpected thing here — a Latin-jazz reading of the Michael Jackson track, sung by a singer best known from Twenty Feet from Stardom.

Deva Mahal's "Fire" is worth noting: she is Taj Mahal's daughter, and the voice is extraordinary.

Yuna's "Lullabies" is the Malaysian entry, Jaz Karis's "Want" the British one, and Kooley High's "Voila" the hip-hop selection.

Jessie Reyez and Daniel Caesar's "Figures, a Reprise" is the emotional peak.

Go deeper

Thirdstory's Cold Heart and Seinabo Sey's Pretend are the two albums this volume most clearly recommends.

Jamila Woods' HEAVN is essential, and Jesse Boykins III has a twenty-year catalogue that almost nobody has properly explored.

Why the ratio matters: two-thirds of the artists here never became well known, and the set still holds up start to finish. That is the whole case for this kind of curation — the quality of a record and the size of its audience turn out to be almost unrelated, and a good ear is the only filter that reliably finds the difference.

Start with the harmony groups and the big voices; they are the tracks that make the case for the whole set fastest.

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