Few singers have the consistency of vision to produce a career retrospective that doubles as a seamless "let's make out on the carpet" mixtape. From 1985's jazzy "Smooth Operator" to tracks from last year's excellent Soldier of Love, it's all state-of-the-art slow-jams all the time, driven by Sade Adu's touch-me-now contralto. The new bait here is a remix of "The Moon and the Sky," which trades the original's flamenco-flavored acoustic guitar for a Jay-Z cameo. Hova plays an ex-lover who hints that he may be the baby daddy to Sade's character, flipping the phrase "pregnant pause" into an instant MC classic. Like bar lighting, Sade's glow makes everyone look their best.

Listen to Sade feat. Jay-Z "The Moon and the Sky":

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“The A Team”

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.