In reaction to the thread about H.E.R. where people complain about the blandness of stars like John Legend and Alicia Keyes, I created this thread to highlight some of the better (IMHO of course ) R&B tracks and artists I ran into in the last 5 years.

Personally I think R&B is on it's way up again, I notice a lot of the newer, more leftfield R&B and hiphop artists put more real instruments and a bit of funk in their tunes and it makes for better music IMO. Although still quite hard work, I found it much easier to find fun, interesting new music in the last few years than in the 20 years before.

Some of the tunes I post here feature rap as well as singing, but are still fun and funky. Hope you will enjoy some of them and let me know what you think.

• Jazmine Sullivan - Pick Up Your Feelings (Official Acoustic Live Video): Jazmine Sullivan - Pick U...ive Video). She's been around for a while, but this performance is another one that I keep returning to. Impeccable singing and gorgeous guitar playing. Great lyrics as well.
• Lucky Daye - How Much Can A Heart Take (Audio) ft. Yebba Lucky Daye - How Much Can... ft. Yebba. This is one of his latest, together with the great Yebba. This one has been on repeat for months in my home. Love the groove, the singing, the production, the 'weird' ending, all of it actually. Lucky has a few more song I like a lot, like "Roll Some Mo'" (gorgeous video!) and
• Joyce Wrice- "On One" Ft. Freddie Gibbs (Official Music Video): https://www.youtube.com/w...LMxnDuQCJg. This tune is very "end of the 90's" sounding. Although it pretty slick/commercial, it has a great groove, great production and a very catchy chorus. Freddie is great too in the rap segment. The song makes me feel like summertimes and happiness.
• Kali Uchis - After The Storm ft. Tyler, The Creator, Bootsy Collins: https://www.youtube.com/w...f5zD7ZSNpQ. This is one of my absolute favorites, so catchy and so well produced. I play this one over and over again and still don't get enough if it. Great message too! And it has a little Bootsy in there. I love everything about it. Plus the video is amazing.
• The Internet - Girl (Official Video) ft. KAYTRANADA https://www.youtube.com/w...mY8mG4_3j4. One of the older ones in this list, but still very good and I still listen to it regularly.
• Snoh Aalegra - Whoa: https://www.youtube.com/w...zRh6Eon5DQ. Not as funky perhaps as some of the others, a bit more modern sounding production, but I still love it. This song calms my spirit. There is a great (longer) remix with Pharrell Williams which is my favorite version of this song.
• Common - What Do You Say (Move It Baby) ft. PJ (Official Music Video) Common - What Do You Say ...sic Video). Of course Common is hardly a newcomer (and is a hiphop artist), but PJ's singing gives it that catchy hook. Plus that bassline is funky as hell. The drumbeat chugs on nicely. Great tune just to vibe to IMO.
• Mac Miller - Dang! (feat. Anderson .Paak) [Official Music Video] Mac Miller - Dang! (feat....sic Video]. "Anderson .Paak is a cheat code" I once read in a YT comment and IMO this is absolutely true. Such a talented musician/singer/performer! This tune with the deceased Mac Miller is just so chill and vibey and summery. I missed it when it came out but since I found it haven't stopped playing this track. Fun video too!

I could go on for a while, but I will leave it at this selection.

Co-signed!

Normani - Wild Side (Offi... - YouTube

My favorite modern RnB artists are Abra and Kali Uchis.

Abra is brilliant and one of my favorite artists....I´ve been listening to her since I heard Fruit for the first time and I can´t wait for new music from her. Great lyrics, great beats, beautiful melodies.

Some really good Abra songs are Fruit.......U Go I Go.....Diamonds and Gold......Pull Up and its old version Bounty....and of course Vegas.

On the one hand I´m sad for her because she is so talented yet hasn´t had a real breakthrough yet, but on the other hand I´m glad that she hasn´t become mainstream yet and still does her own thing.

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As far as Kali Uchis is concerned, I love most of her music but I think some of those acoustic versions of her songs are even better than the regular album versions, for example Dead to Me....the acoustic version and the video to it are absolutely amazing and take things to the next level. I also like her cover version of Björk´s Venus as a Boy a lot.

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[Edited 7/20/21 13:24pm]

CynicKill said:

Billie Eilish - Lost Caus... - YouTube

[Edited 7/20/21 13:23pm]

I like Kali Uchis but I was listening to that 3 summers ago. Need fresher examples.

funkaholic1972 said:

Although still quite hard work, I found it much easier to find fun, interesting new music in the last few years than in the 20 years before.

Vainandy will probably return to say he doesn't want to look for music. That it should be on commercial radio where he (and a large audience) can hear it, and if you have to look for music, nobody will know what it is when you play it a party or something.

Wolfie87 said:

Like I said. If D'Angelo had continued and thrived after Voodoo instead of his inner demons, we would never had this thread today.

R. Kelly was way more popular than D'Angelo ever was. Kelly even produced Celine Dion and he resurrected the career of the Isley Brothers with Mr. Biggs. Neo-soul had little crossover appeal anyway which Usher, Destiny's Child, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, R. Kelly, TLC, Aaliyah, Akon, T-Pain, Mary J. Blige, & Rihanna had. So it wouldn't have made a difference what D'Angelo did.

TWIRKULATOR GO HARD!MR. HANKY BEST PRODUCER SINCE EARLY 80S PRINCE

Wolfie87 said:

Elaine

Stokley

Raheem Devaughn

Tank

Pj Morton

Ricky Kinchen

Brandy

Jermaine Holmes

Kameron Corvet

alphastreet said:

Nothing grown or sexy about beibs

You're lucky there probably aren't any Beliebers that post here.

MickyDolenz said:

Beliebers

MickyDolenz said:

funkaholic1972 said:

Although still quite hard work, I found it much easier to find fun, interesting new music in the last few years than in the 20 years before.

Vainandy will probably return to say he doesn't want to look for music. That it should be on commercial radio where he (and a large audience) can hear it, and if you have to look for music, nobody will know what it is when you play it a party or something.

Damn right. Finding good music and listening to it alone is like masturbation. It feels good alone but is mind blowing with someone else. If good new music isn't known by a large enough audience, it will never be played in the clubs. Now, where do you go to pick up new dicks? You go to the clubs. So yeah, you might bring some dick home from a club that doesn't play good music, but when you get them home, that person will have such bad taste and will be so boring that you'll end up telling them to not spoil it by talking.

MickyDolenz said:

Billy Elish

Bruno Mars

Just having a look at one of my playlists and these tracks stand out for me over the last few years:

• Leon Bridges - Bad Bad News, Shy, Sweeter
• Childish Gambino - Feels Like Summer
• Tamia - Leave it Smokin
• Michael Kiwanuka - Hero
• Ari Lennox - Static
• Amber Mark - What If
• Cee-Lo - The Way, Thinking Out Loud
• Lalah Hathaway - Surrender
• Anderson Paak - Am I wrong
• Joyce Wrice - Chandler
• Mya - Space (the 2 min version, though this may be older than 5 years!)
• Lenny Kravitz - Low
• NERD - Deep Down Body Thurst
• Snoh Aalegra - Love Like That, In Your Eyes

I don't think any were hit singles bu the latest albums by Raphael Saadiq and Michael Kiwunuka were filled with soulful songs that drew from old school R&B.