11 R&B Classic Albums That Can Exist In Any Generation
Love and music are timeless, so, naturally, the songs representing their union can also be. Below are 11 shea butter musical masterpieces (in no particular order) that have eternal life in our ears, hearts, and souls.
1. Aaliyah – One in A Million – 1996
The birth of street but sweet music tunes, One in A Million does not get the respect it truly deserves. The album plays like a block party with records for dancing, laughter, and last-minute slow dance. Aaliyah’s sophomore work not only exceeds her first but also creates a blueprint for today’s vibe singers.
Go to songs:
2. Jodeci – Diary of a Mad Band – 1993
The Bad Boys of R&B showcase their malt-liquor love with every ugly-face high note. Jodeci embellishes vocally in the rough side of love that does not exist in a Karen’s romance novel, but thrives at a local hood park.
Go to songs:
3. Usher – Confessions -2004
Not sure if this album is based on a true story, but Usher made us believe it was and that’s all that matters. The theme was relatable, scary, and yet undeniable to the guilty pleasure soul.
Go to songs:
4. Mary J. Blige – My Life – 1994
Mary J. Blige’s first album, What’s The 411, presented her crown, but My Life waswhen she became Queen. The combination of heartache and joy expressed from Queen Mary’s personal experiences, selfishly had us loyalists wanting her to remain in a place she struggled so hard to get out of for our enjoyment.
Go to songs:
5. Erykah Badu – Baduizm – 1997
Erykah’s premiere captivated our souls but scrambled our minds as we begged for more. She painted an alternative picture that disconnects from the stereotypical I-Love-You relationship songs and tapped into an emotion of Black expression.
Go to songs:
6. Alicia Keys – The Diary of Alicia Keys -2003
Alicia Keys and her piano testimony were at their best as she displayed a different type of vulnerability by putting herself as the comforter and pursuer in song.
Go to songs:
7. Beyonce – Dangerously in Love – 2003
The Writing was on the Wall early in her Destiny’s Child days that Beyonce would go solo, but only a few could expect how heavy the impact. Dangerously In Love challenges R&B standards with Beyonce singing vocally like a rock star, but passionately like a blues church singer.
Go to songs:
8. Jill Scott – Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 – 2000
Love Jones coffee shop music that represented the conscious (before woke) movement. Jilly from Philly sang with a classically trained voice performed in spoken-word style that would have one crushin on the city bus driver.
Go to songs:
9. Janet Jackson – Janet – 1993
This album was when Ms. Jackson stopped Waiting a While and became a super-grown woman. The Janet album, whenever it plays, sounds like a July summer, even in the winter.
Go to songs:
10. Mariah Carey – The Emancipation of Mimi – 2005
Mariah’s high-pitched glass break vocals reign supreme through each track that delivered a soulful edge that she usually only did for remixes in the past. The Emancipation of Mimi produced a combination of high temple Hip Hop-influenced tracks and modern-day wedding songs.
Go to songs:
11. D’Angelo – Brown Sugar – 1995
Never before nor after has there been an album that delivered cool metaphors like the title track with double entendre phrases that created enlightenment instead of confusion. Brown Sugar stands within its own time zone where the dress code sign reads: Come cool, come Black.
Go to songs:
These albums are time capsules, so feel free to pass them on with a warning that they are not just good music; they’re lifetime experiences.
J Hall is a Detroit-bred Howard Bison multimedia culture critic. An abstract thinker who believes “You ain’t wrong when you’re right” and that his mother’s cupcakes are legendary. Check out his slight worldwide view here: https://linktr.ee/jhall
