Something Cool - June Christy This album is so heavenly, it sort of defies description. Christy recorded other albums that are just as good, but they don't quite have the magic of this one. There's something about the combination of Christy's sultry vocals and Pete Rugolo's sublime arrangements that absolutely kills me.
The Intimate Ella - Ella Fitzgerald You usually don't hear Ella this way - this is a piano/vocal duet album with pianist Paul Smith. The songs are all torchy ballads, and Ella's voice is like honey. She's sometimes been accused of not being able to project much emotion with her singing, but this album blows that theory out of the water, IMO. "Black Coffee," "Misty," and "Angel Eyes" are my favorites, and she even tackles Connie Francis's "Who's Sorry Now."
In the Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra This is my favorite Sinatra album, and one of the earliest concept albums, supposedly "inspired" by his break up with Ava Gardner. Gorgeous vocals dripping with pathos, gorgeous arrangements by Nelson Riddle. Johnny Hartman (another singer I love) did a cover of the title track years later, but Sinatra's original cannot be topped. Not even by the likes of Hartman.
Hejira - Joni Mitchell I've sung this album's praises 1,000 times on the Ledge, but here it is again. I don't listen to Joni that much these days, but this will probably always be one of my favorites. This album paints a picture for me, more than any other album of hers, and that's due at least as much to the presence of Jaco Pastorius as to Joni's lyrics, which are the best she's ever written.
Heart Like a Wheel - Linda Ronstadt Her most consistent album, IMO. Anna McGarrigle wrote the killer title song, and her sister Kate's death is what got me to thinking about this album again. Ronstadt has a tendency to get a little too "shouty" with her vocals sometimes, but they are absolutely beautiful here.
Private Dancer - Tina Turner I've been listening to this a lot lately. This is Tina in all her slick '80s rock glory. She was never quite this good again, sadly. But she rocks these songs - "I Might Have Been Queen", "Show Some Respect," and "Steel Claw" are some real tours de force. Then, there are the gorgeous R&B ballads "Let's Stay Together" and "Help" (she puts the Beatles' version of this song to absolute, pitiable shame) that prove that, for all her newfound '80s slickness, she still had more soul in her pinky toe than Janet Jackson or Whitney Houston could ever dream of having, even if they both gained 400 lbs.
San Antonio Rose - Willie Nelson & Ray Price I love the title song to pieces, but what makes this album for me is the (unintentional, I'm sure) homoeroticism of Willie & Ray duetting on "I Fall to Pieces."
Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks I'm glad to see all the BD love on this thread. It really is the best of her solo albums, and even tho my love for Stevie ebbs and flows, I will always adore this one. Like Tina with Private Dancer, Stevie was never *quite* this good again (well, maybe with Rock a Little, but that's debatable I suppose).
Body and Soul - Billie Holiday This is a late-period gem from 1957 that I adore. BH swings mightily with the help of sidemen like the great Ben Webster, and delivers particularly touching versions of "Darn That Dream" and "Moonlight in Vermont."
Aja and Gaucho - Steely Dan These albums are two of a piece for me, and I've been obsessed with them both for a while now. (Aja might have a slight edge, if I absolutely had to pick one, but it would be hard). They're absolute genius, and I don't know what else to say. "Aja," "Black Cow," and "Third World Man" are particular favorites.
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