5 dinner party albums / amazon prime music

Three essential elements to a successful dinner party:
1. good music
2. good dessert
3. pistachios.

Seriously, those little salty nuts are highly underrated as an appetizer. But I digress! If you've got an Amazon Prime membership, you now have access to a pretty awesome little library of tunes. If the parish priest is showing up at 6:00 or you got stuck hosting the book club this month, here's what I'd throw on the ol' turntable to keep myself calm and keep the background noise pleasant.

1. The Complete Great American 

Songbook
Rod Stewart

I had near-hyperventilation and cries of joy when I saw that Prime Music included ALL of Rod Stewart's crooning the classics. Whenever my sister or I hear "You Go to My Head," we immediately yearn for a cold glass of good pinot grigio and a foxtrot-like spin around the kitchen island of my parents' house. Many, many a good family dinner nights were spent in the company of Rod, the aforementioned wine, and my mom's famous New York style meatloaf.

Perfect for: any and all dinner parties--especially if your dinner parties usually include the 60-something crowd, or if you're really an 80-something at heart, like me.

2. What a Wonderful Duet
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald 

As easy to listen to as the Great American Songbooks above, but with the bonus of female vocals--and not just any female vocals, of course. Is there a musical pair today that sounds as good together as Louis and Ella? Nah.

Perfect for: guests who appreciate a little jazzy toe-tapping.

3. Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone 

Sometimes, though, you just need something soothing in the background, something without lyrics (or a trumpet).

This is an excellent album on the whole, but you need it for the first two tracks: "Gabriel's Oboe" and "The Falls" from The Mission.

Perfect for: guests who like weeping.

4. Live at Radio City
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds 

Show me a person that doesn't have some kind of emotional, romantic attachment to at least one Dave Matthews song--just one! Does such a mythical creature exist?

Perfect for: dinner guests who will start humming along to "Crush" without even realizing it.

5. Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 
Billy Joel 

Ok, it's not the album for every dinner party, and your kids might have some questions if they listen to the lyrics of "Piano Man" too closely. But as mother to a 4-year-old, I've come to better appreciate "Don't Ask Me Why;" collapsing at the end of the day reminds me that "You're Only Human;" and  pregnancy gives new meaning to "Pressure." (Too much?)

Perfect for: humans with problems who want to be assured that someone, anyone, loves them just the way they are. Awww.

Go forth and give 'em all a listen! And vote: Next week, want 5 albums to keep you going during a marathon dish washing session? Or early Christmas picks?

Ps. Linking this up with Jenna's inaugural five favs link-up. Happy hosting, and thanks, Jenna!