(MONEY Magazine) – THIS VALENTINE'S DAY, THINK CDS. Nope, not certificates of deposit. (If you're interested in those, see Money Monitor.) We mean the musical variety--compact disks.

In the spirit of the season, MONEY asked music critics at a dozen major newspapers and magazines to name the most romantic CDs in their personal collections. No guarantees, of course, but we think your valentine might love one or more of the CDs our critics came up with.

For a classical mood: Ravel's trio and sonatas, particularly on the sound-track album for the 1992 French film Un Coeur en Hiver, are "beautiful, lush and romantic," said one of our critics (Erato Disques, about $15). Debussy's Preludes, conducted by Krystian Zimerman (Deutsche Grammophon, $16), are "warm and perfect for romance," said another critic. Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony, conducted by Valery Gergier, was cited as "passionate and tempestuous" (Philips Classics, $16).

To jazz up the evening: John Coltrane's 1962 Ballads (MCA, $15) creates "a romantic, seductive ambience," one of our critics said. So does sultry singer Nina Simone's Compact Jazz (Polygram, $14). Chet Baker's The Best of Chet Baker Sings (Capitol Records, $14) is a 1950s reissue that includes, appropriately enough, Baker's jazzy version of "My Funny Valentine."

For a little bit of soul, pop or rhythm and blues: Marvin Gaye's 1973 Let's Get It On (Motown Records, $13) was recommended as "good for igniting sparks." Frank Sinatra's 1956 Songs for Swingin' Lovers (Capitol Records, $14) is a dim-the-lights classic--the campy title notwithstanding. Two sweet standouts from the '70s are Al Green's 1971 Let's Get Together (The Right Stuff/Capitol Records, $10) and Carole King's 1972 megaseller Tapestry (Ode Records, $14). Linda Ronstadt's voice is "always sexy," one critic said, especially on her 1983 album of standards, What's New, conducted by Nelson Riddle (Elektra, $16).

For something more contemporary: Our critics loved K.D. Lang but split on which of K.D.'s CDs to recommend. Leading contenders: the 1992 Ingenue (Sire Records, $15) and the new All You Can Eat (Warner Bros. Records, $15). Also cited were a pair of albums from Sade: 1992's Love Deluxe (Sony Music Entertainment, $16) and the 1988 Stronger Than Pride (CBS Records, $13). Finally, our critics were enraptured by Anita Baker's 1986 Rapture (Elektra/Asylum Records, $16), cited by one as "more soulful and bluesy than Lang or Sade but equally seductive."

And if none of these recommendations strike a chord, remember: There's always chocolate.

--Elif Sinanoglu