Listening Bar Albums

Luther Johnson — They Call Me the Popcorn Man (1975)

Luther Johnson — They Call Me the Popcorn Man (...

Luther “Georgia Boy” Johnson’s They Call Me the Popcorn Man (1975) — a soulful Chicago blues session full of groove, ease, and lived-in charm.

Luther Johnson — They Call Me the Popcorn Man (...

Luther “Georgia Boy” Johnson’s They Call Me the Popcorn Man (1975) — a soulful Chicago blues session full of groove, ease, and lived-in charm.

Serge Gainsbourg — Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)

Serge Gainsbourg — Histoire de Melody Nelson (1...

Rafi Mercer reflects on Histoire de Melody Nelson, Serge Gainsbourg’s haunting 1971 masterpiece — a short, cinematic, unforgettable album that still feels ahead of its time.

Serge Gainsbourg — Histoire de Melody Nelson (1...

Rafi Mercer reflects on Histoire de Melody Nelson, Serge Gainsbourg’s haunting 1971 masterpiece — a short, cinematic, unforgettable album that still feels ahead of its time.

Bonobo — Black Sands (2010)

Bonobo — Black Sands (2010)

A reflective Saturday-morning listen to Bonobo’s Black Sands, told in Rafi Mercer’s slow-listening voice — an album of movement, stillness, and the quiet architecture of sound. By Rafi Mercer There’s...

Bonobo — Black Sands (2010)

A reflective Saturday-morning listen to Bonobo’s Black Sands, told in Rafi Mercer’s slow-listening voice — an album of movement, stillness, and the quiet architecture of sound. By Rafi Mercer There’s...

Amy Winehouse — Back to Black (2006)

Amy Winehouse — Back to Black (2006)

A quiet, reflective look at Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black — an album I return to for its honesty, its emotional precision, and the way her voice still teaches me...

Amy Winehouse — Back to Black (2006)

A quiet, reflective look at Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black — an album I return to for its honesty, its emotional precision, and the way her voice still teaches me...

Cymande — Cymande (1972)

Cymande — Cymande (1972)

Cymande (1972), centred on the timeless power of “The Message” — a perfect Old Music Friday tune and the heartbeat of one of funk’s most soulful, spiritual debut albums.

Cymande — Cymande (1972)

Cymande (1972), centred on the timeless power of “The Message” — a perfect Old Music Friday tune and the heartbeat of one of funk’s most soulful, spiritual debut albums.

Desmond Dekker — The Israelites (1968)

Desmond Dekker — The Israelites (1968)

Desmond Dekker’s The Israelites — a deceptively simple 1968 classic whose minimal production and global impact reshaped reggae and still reveals new depth when listened to slowly.

Desmond Dekker — The Israelites (1968)

Desmond Dekker’s The Israelites — a deceptively simple 1968 classic whose minimal production and global impact reshaped reggae and still reveals new depth when listened to slowly.