A classic R&B masterpiece. A must-listen recommended album.
The genre “R&B” began to take hold around the 1970s.
Even though we call it R&B, its style has changed with each era, and by now I think it’s a genre with a rather fuzzy definition.
For this piece, I’ll define R&B as “groovy tracks packed with vocal techniques often used in R&B, like ad-libs and runs,” and introduce some classic R&B albums!
While I’m including a few major tracks, I’ve also picked out some extremely obscure songs that even hardcore R&B aficionados in Japan probably don’t know—so be sure to check them out!
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R&B Masterpieces: Must-Listen Recommended Albums (21–30)
Thong SobgSisqo
This is Cisco’s iconic work that took the club scene by storm in 2000.
It reached No.
3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The opening violin phrase was inspired by the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” A different version of the music video featuring Foxy Brown also generated buzz at the time.
BikingFrank Ocean feat Jay Z & Tyler The Creator
A song by Frank Ocean, an American R&B singer-songwriter and rapper who won a Grammy Award in 2013.
It was released as a single in 2017.
The song was inspired by the cyclic nature of life, like the wheels of a bicycle.
R&B Masterpieces: Must-Listen Recommended Albums (31–40)
Blame ItJamie Foxx
This track was released as the second single from his third album, Intuition, showcasing his wide-ranging activities from talent work to production.
Featuring T-Pain, the song was nominated for multiple awards, including the Grammys.
It became the album’s most successful track, peaking at No.
2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)Maxwell
A single released in 1996 by Maxwell, an American R&B/neo-soul singer.
It became his first hit.
It’s one of the songs he wrote in a small room in Brooklyn.
It reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s R&B Songs chart.
Try AgainAaliyah
It’s a track featured on the action movie soundtrack Romeo Must Die.
It was produced by Timbaland, who sparked a boom with his distinctive chikki-chikki beat.
In the film Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah takes on her first acting role.
Timbaland has said of this song, “I produced it under the influence of Detroit techno.”
Too CloseNext
A single released in 1997 by the American R&B group Next.
It features vocals by female R&B singer Koffee Brown.
The song stayed on the U.
S.
charts for 38 weeks.
The dance style showcased in this track is known as “freaking.”
On & OnErykah Badu
This song is a signature work by the queen of organic neo-soul.
It won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1998.
It’s a historic classic that became the first neo-soul track to reach number one on Billboard’s R&B chart.
The music video was inspired by Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple.