If you haven’t already noticed, I somehow always find myself listening to a great album only to find out later that the musician who made it died a tragic and untimely death. Chet Baker is yet another artist that can be added to that unlucky list. I discovered his music when I was 14 through listening to oldies, probably thinking about some boy who didn’t even know I existed. The first song of his that I had heard was I Fall In Love Too Easily, which I could very much relate to as a somewhat-typical teenage girl. Diving further into his music, however, I found a lot of nuance and pain with tinges of admiration and wistfulness.

Chet Baker Sings is an album that I wish every young person would listen to. Although Baker did not write these songs himself, his voice and musicianship captures that teenage longing that everyone experiences. Aside from that, it is simply beautiful and easy to listen to on a fall evening at home.