A well-groomed monthly playlist to start your morning right. April’s theme: A dose of soul for spring.

We’re big advocates of long, hot showers. A good steam will soothe your muscles, clear your head and soften your stubble before that all-important shave. Of course, for the luxurious fog to work its magic, you have to give it a little time to build. A great soundtrack will make the whole process a faster and more enjoyable experience.

For April, we’ve put together a lineup of spring soul that will leave you beaming at the coming season. The warm horns, hot keys and cool bass will come together like the competing weather patterns outside: It will get a little stormy at times. But mostly it is rays of pure unfiltered sunshine to start your morning on the bright side.

April Shower Sessions

 

Speaking of rays, the soundtrack for your shower will begin with Mr. Charles. Think of it as a little warm-up while hot water is kicking in. He’ll be singing about it being “Early in the Morning” and having “nothing but the blues” after a regretful evening. Perhaps you’ll have your own regrets. But that’s what showers are for, right? To wash it all off? Kick it into high gear with Johnny Sayles’s “I Can’t Get Enough,” a ridiculously energetic lost classic that will give you proper motivation for the all-important “scrub vigorously” phase. Baby Huey and Clarence Carter will keep the party going, followed by James Brown protegé Marva Whitney reminding you to “Unwind Yourself.” Follow her advice. Just because things are uptempo, doesn’t mean they’re not relaxed. Stay loose. Sam & Dave will help with that.

Things might peak by the time Aretha shows up. She tends to have that effect. She will rapturously exclaim how “Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning.” But you’ll know. Because you have empathy.

By this point, you’ll feel your own soul starting to shine a little bit brighter. It will feel smooth, exfoliated, moisturized and filled with nutrients. The kind of nutrients that only Otis Redding can bring.

You may find yourself grooving a bit. And that’s okay. A little shower shimmy is encouraged when songs like “Funky Judge” and “Ain’t Nothing But a House Party” are playing.

When the list closes out with the great Lee Dorsey’s “A Lover Was Born,” you too will feel reborn.

Shine on, spring chicken.