Mellow Music

Jazz is possibly the music type most associated with a mellow mood. Instruments such as the saxophone emit a laid back smoothness, and artists such as Miles Davis and Chet Baker, whilst not limited to the term, made many mellow recordings. Indeed, Billie Holiday wrote a jazz standard, also performed by Nina Simone amongst others, called Fine and Mellow.

This feeling continues into soul music, where the rich voice of singers such as Al Green and John Legend lends itself to the comforting effect of mellow music. And the natural feel of much reggae music, from the slow paced sunshine of the Caribbean, can't help but fit the description. The Odyssey Online lists Bob Marley's One Love as the ultimate mellow song.

Perhaps the most often musicians described as mellow are singer songwriters, who with an acoustic guitar and vocals can create a pleasingly quiet sound that befits this category. Nick Drake and Kings of Convenience rate highly when searching for mellow tunes, whilst pop acts like Coldplay and Adele may also occasionally be labelled as such.

Whilst many would relate rock music to louder songs, there are many examples of this genre also venturing into mellowness. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd describes itself in the title, and even metal bands have their moments, with Metallica's Nothing Else Matters number one in The Top Tens' mellow rock songs list. Whilst this slow song remains emotionally intense, softer rock by bands like The Eagles provide a different type of mellow rock.

The fast beats per minute of dance music can too be reduced to offer a more chilled out vibe. Some trance and house tracks achieve this, whilst as electronic dance music has evolved, it has widened to include more downbeat artists, and even a genre named chillbeat.