Seems like every year, fewer R&B albums are released, and 2016 was no different. Nevertheless, it was another year of genre-bending projects with a few surprised releases.
In 2016, R&B songs took the lead on various conversations, whether it was politics, social issues, self-esteem quandaries, bullying, relationships, love and more. Veteran artists like Beyonce, Maxwell, John Legend, and Alicia Keys used their star power to convey an abundance of messages and inspiration through song.
There were also a few breakout albums this year that shocked the hell out of us. We also were blessed with bodies of work from veteran singers, who were on hiatus.
In deciding what albums were going to appear our “Top 20 Best R&B Albums of 2016” list, we loaded up a playlist of 30 albums, blocked out everything people said on social media (70% are non-album buyers anyway), and we literally listened in depth to what these singers were contributing.
We hope you cans can appreciate our “Top 20 Best R&B Albums of 2016” list, and feel free to leave questions, comments, or feedback.
Also, below are five albums that didn’t make our top 20 list, so we mentioned them below to show our appreciation.
Honorable Mentions:
- Corinne Bailey Rae – The Heart Speaks in Whispers
- LION BABE – Begin
- Anderson .Paak – Malibu
- Frank Ocean – Blonde
- BJ the Chicago Kid – In My Mind
Happy clicking!
Also, check out our Top 50 Best R&B Songs of 2016!
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