By Trey Alessio
R&B didn't quite live up to 2016, in my mind, but it was still a great year for a bunch of up and coming singers. Let the rhythm and blues flow through your body with my top-5 list for R&B albums of 2017!
5. "War & Leisure" - Miguel
Miguel’s album, “War & Leisure” is a fun, smooth mix of vibrant sounds and flows. Miguel has always been good, but this seems like his first steps into the real mainstream. I loved “Sky Walker” with Travis Scott and “Come Through and Chill” with J. Cole. This album isn’t mind-blowing by any means, but it’s just cool music to vibe out to.
4. “Process” - Sampha
Sampha’s debut album, “Process” is a deep, emotional journey. It’s surprisingly cohesive, and his voice is flat-out amazing. I really hope Sampha emerges to the forefront of R&B because the man is talented and he showed us he can and will tell a cohesive story that will stick with you. Don’t sleep on the London singer!
3. "American Teen" - Khalid
“American Teen” was Khalid’s coming out party. “Location” did numbers, “Young, Dumb & Broke” is on its way, but the album, as a whole, is outstanding. This dude is 19 years old, which blows my mind because with an album of this caliber as his debut, it just means Khalid has a lot more left in the tank, and he’s more than likely going to continue getting better. Mark my word: Khalid is going to be a star. “American Teen” is just the beginning.
2. "Freudian" - Daniel Caesar
A buddy of mine put me onto Daniel Caesar, and I’m damn glad he did. “Freudian” is the type of album that truly sticks with you. It’s kind of a lovey-dovey, put-you-in-your-feels type of album, but there’s a time and place for everything. Daniel Caesar has the type of voice that seeps into your soul. He’s just straight-up amazing. Like I want “Best Part” to be played at my wedding type of amazing. “Freudian” is a roller coaster of emotions, and I loved every second of it.
1. "Ctrl" - SZA
“Ctrl” (pronounced “control”) is an amazing concept album about a coming-of-age black women in a modern world, and SZA (pronounced “sizz-ah”) tells her story to perfection. It’s the perfect album to sing along to but, at the same time, makes you take a step back and think about life. “Ctrl” faced many delays, but it was well worth the wait. SZA trusted TDE’s process, and it paid off in the end. I know this word gets thrown around quite a bit these days, but YOLO… This album is a classic.
Do you agree with our list? Let us know!
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