Agapi Mou from the album Modeste Hugues - Modeste
Hardly anyone has heard of this album or musician. I discovered Modeste on a blog like Awesome Tapes From Africa when I was 23... the album was unlike any thing I’d ever heard, (usually, I listen to punk and classic rock like AC/DC, Sublime, Nirvana, Alice In Chains) I still listen to this album frequently and I’m 35 now, it’s that good. Now that I have a great hifi system, it sounds ever better.
Molo from the album Aubrey Qwana - Imvula Mlomo
Another African musician. His mother died when he was young, but you’d never know it listening to his peaceful, almost party like music. Molo is one of my favorite songs and it’s recorded really well.
Spring 1 from Max Richter - Vivaldi Recomposed by Max Ritcher
One time I got to listen to a $100,000 stereo system at a store in Mount Kisco, NY. The other songs I played there, you could clearly hear the limitations of the recording, not this one. It sounds like being in a room with 50 people playing stringed instruments. The birds somehow sounded more real than actual bird sounds because of some proximity effect. The violins sound absolutely beautiful and the musicians are possibly the best classical players in the world.
A couple catchy very well recorded honorable mentions Someone that Loves You from Honne - Warm on a Cold Night and (a sad one) Going Home from Sophie Zelmani - Sing and Dance.