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But not everyone is so gifted with the art of romance. Some people need help in this category. And while everyone knows nothing gets two people more in the mood for love than the collected works of Arnold "Twelve Tone" Schoenberg, Scratch Acid and Throbbing Gristle, sometimes it's better to take a more traditional approach.

I know once you spy this list you'll wonder where's David Byrne, Geddy Lee and Jimmy "Metallica" Hetfield--those smooth singers speak in the universal language of love--but I decided to find 25 singers who if you lace your drink with enough Diazepam can really help you make it through the long night ahead. R&B singers have a natural advantage here, since the music's natural rhythm lends itself to smooth sailing and those voices! As Marvin Gaye once said, Let's Get it ON!

Shuffle the order anyway you prefer.

25) Frank Sinatra: Any list where Frank Sinatra comes in at #25 screams of some sort of mental confusion. He's a dead ringer for anyone's top ten. But considering the way things are presented visually here at the site, I wanted Mr. Sinatra to stand out and be at the top, so I opted to put him here. He doesn't belong in the middle of the pack.

24) Nat King Cole: You could say I chose Mr. Cole "for sentimental reasons." Get it? Get it? Oh, geez, half of the world barely knows him as the father of Natalie, a talented singer with her own distinguished career, never mind knowing one of his songs. Everybody, "Ramblin' Rose!" (and not the MC5 tune, guys).

23) Dusty Springfield: Yes, Dusty is one of those legends who it feels like if you don't include her on the list, you're not doing your job. And I would never want to be accused of being asleep at the switch. I'm already going to hear it for leaving off Diamanda Galas!

22) Tom Jones: Women throw their underwear and their hotel room keys up to this man when he's on stage. What the men don't know, the ladies in the blue hair understand? He makes me want to jump off a cliff, but Van Morrison swears by him. Sometimes you defer to your elders.

21) Van Morrison: He gave "Have I Told You Lately" to Rod Stewart. Or Rod took it from him and had a huge hit. Either way, we're hoping ol' grumpy pants got paid for once. No one actually knows what Van is singing about half the time and when they do figure it out, he denies it. Is "Madame George" a tune about a drag queen or not? Does it matter? I prefer the "hail, sleet and snow" that follows. And for pure romance, try a shot of "Crazy Love" off of Moondance. And by all means, purchase his new super-great live album Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl. It will make you a better person.

20) Elvis Presley: Who can argue with Elvis Presley? "Anything That's A Part Of You" wins my vote for one of his more obscure ballads. But the man exuded sex and romance on his rockers! "Tryin' To Get To You," "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," "Mystery Train," these may not be the traditional fare to woo a young lady, but they sure sound excited.

19) Lucinda Williams: Lucinda can coo like nobody else. Sometimes she sounds like she has a bad back and is so loaded up on painkillers that she can barely get out of bed, but the rest of the time she sounds like a woman on a mission. And if part of that mission is to seduce you, well, then that's fine by her. Especially if you're a bass player, apparently.

18) Prince: Prince has never been the most subtle writer. When he writes about sex, he writes about sex--explicitly. Which may not be the best tact when you're trying to seduce someone. Construction workers who grab their crotch do not have a greater success rate than men who come bearing flowers and chocolate. At least according to recent surveys.

17) Rod Stewart: That sandpaper growl of his just calls out for the women to gather ‘round. "Some Guys Have All The Luck," surely you jest, Rod. YOU have all the luck. We've seen your stack of wives and girlfriends. And we've seen you in those leopard print spandex and we just have to wonder how you pulled it off.

16) Joni Mitchell: "And the more he talked to me, you know the more he reached me" she sings on "Court And Spark" and she sounds like she's been very moved by the experience. Nothing screams "I'm sensitive, dammit," more than owning an early ‘70s Joni Mitchell album. Take this one to the bank.

15) Francoise Hardy: Get the albums she sings in French, otherwise it sounds like she's reading off of cue cards--and besides, French, like German, is the language of love. It always sounds so soothing. Even if you never don a beret or read poetry or sip expensive coffee, you should indulge in a Francoise Hardy experience. Consider it your cultural duty.

14) Marianne Faithfull: You've got two choices with Marianne. You can choose her early work where she sounds like a young virginal waif, or you can slap on her later work from the mid-‘70s on where her voice is transformed into a Pall-Mall-ed croak. "Why'd Ya Do It"" off Broken English isn't a suggested starting point, but her catalog is stacked with songs where she really expresses a great amount of concern for your well-being.

13) Donna Summer: Everyone should have "Love To Love You Baby" on the stereo at some point, if only to boost up the declining birth rate in this country. If I had to blame one reason for a lack of proliferation in this country, I'd point it at RUSH. Those damned Canadians practically act as an aural condom. No one gets anywhere with their music on. It's a proven fact. "Cygnus X-1" prevents pregnancy.

12) Chrissie Hynde: Chrissie did it with leather. She could've used fluffy pillows, but that wasn't her style. She was a rocker at heart and while "I'll Stand By You" sounds like a self-empowerment anthem, something like "Precious," "Kid," "Mystery Achievement," "Birds Of Paradise" and "Talk Of The Town" use an unnerving punch and vibrato to make their point. And I am one not to argue with her.

11) Leonard Cohen: There aren't many men over 70 who can still convince young women to do more than spoon feed them strained carrots. But Leonard is a man of wealth and taste. Well, he was until his money people pulled a Bernie Madoff and walked off with his cash. He's been rebuilding his nest egg. And when I went online to see about tickets learned I might be able to score one for around $350. For some people, there is no financial crisis.

10) Teddy Pendergrass: Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes had to have a bad feeling about their obvious star. They knew he would leave for a solo career. Just run the numbers. If you don't have a manager pointing out the obvious benefits of a solo career and name recognition, fire that man! Why do you think Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Oprah, Suze Orman and Stephen Colbert name their shows after themselves? It's not just because they like to hear their names. Well, that's part of it.

9) Curtis Mayfield: If you could sing that high and that smooth, you would. Even when Curtis is singing about social issues, he sounds like he's doing so from the bedroom with some very soft, silky sheets calling you to attention.

8) Otis Redding: Otis's voice breaks in all the right places. And while he sounds his best when he sounds down and out, it's that element of sympathy that makes everyone want to befriend him and manage his life for him. Knowing that he died so young only makes things even worse. If he were alive today, imagine how many Facebook friends he would have!

7) Isaac Hayes: When Isaac says "I don't mean to take up too much of your time" and then starts talking about his childhood, you have a right to rethink how much time you're willing to commit to this gentleman. His cover of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" almost feels as if it was recorded in real time. By the time he gets there, you've arrived as well--and that's taking the traffic into account.

6) Nina Simone: She's influenced generations--and if I wasn't just so damned traditional sometimes, I'd put the new kids on the list, but you know it's hard to make a spot for Alicia Keys when you have to first make room for a lady who taught everyone else how it's done. And if recorded history went back even further--say, another century or so--we'd have a whole ‘nother level of people to deal with.

5) Al Green: Angelic voices are just that. They don't sound like they came from earth. Al Green doesn't only hit notes that others only dream about, he slides into them in ways other people are clearly incapable of.

4) Billie Holiday: Even near the end of her life when her voice was going, going , gone, Holiday could still bring on the heartbreak--sometimes even more so since she wasn't just singing it, she was living it.

3) Smokey Robinson: Bob Dylan called Smokey Robinson one of America's greatest poets and I interpret that to mean Smokey's ability to deliver his truth with that voice. He takes simple ideas and concepts and complicates them with a sound that divides the heavens and turns water into salt-water, or something like that.

2) Marvin Gaye: "Let's Get It On" gets right to the point. Proving that sometimes getting to the point is the whole point. But be careful out there. Not everyone is as smooth as Marvin Gaye. Most of us come off a bit more rough. Like I don't think the guy in AC/DC could pull this off with the same effect. He might arm-wrestle a few women into the tent, but Gaye would never be put to such tests.

1) Barry White: White sang about love like a guy who lived for nothing else. Surely, he wasn't interested in working for a living. Or if he was going to work, he was going to do so only in the pursuit of women. I guess, it worked. "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Baby," "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" and "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby" aren't just wonderful songs due to their swell use of the comma, but also the kinds of songs that would sound comfortable being blasted out the windows of a customized van. And if the van is a-rockin', Barry White is truly the man at work!