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This slow-burning, mid-tempo R&B ballad puts the '"Main Focus" on Lauren G as a singer and songwriter.
The immense magnitude of the tragic death of Marvin Gaye has only grown as time has passed and has really accentuated the artistic quality of the music he left behind.
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Mesmi seems to have taken her time to find and develop her artistic identity rather than rush to stardom, and it shows in her debut LP 'Slow Bloom.'
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Being a classic R&B treat, Sha Davis’ album 'Songs I Wrote When You Left' is the musical equivalent of a tempting piece of chocolate.
The standout crooner of the 1970s has provided us with—from the grave—an album that is more than great: it’s the perfect album for the times in which we live.
Mereba's ability to blend together soul, R&B, and hip-hop, was a breath of fresh air and led to some fantastic music to vibe out to.
For the first half of '1UP', T-Pain delivers some strong, classic material, but the problem is that warm feeling of nostalgia fades fast leaving a project that, once again, feels tired and too stuck to his ways.
Talos delivers an incredibly rich and cinematic album that crafts an almost perfect blend of soulful production, synths, and impressive vocals.
Jessie Reyez's short, sharp, 7-track project delivers a refreshingly blunt and honest look at the singer in a way you don't often see. It's a whole vibe and she may just be the best new thing to come out of 2018.
A.CHAL showed great growth on this project as he expanded his musical reach and really tapped into the latin aspect of his music - leading to some legit dance hits. He's poised to be next up.
Joji showed surprising amount of skill and understanding in the R&B/neo-soul realm and left his own unique stamp on the genre in unexpected ways. An overall enjoyable listen with more highs than lows.
Between Jeremih's strong vocals and Ty Dolla $ign's skills as a songwriter, the pair were able to craft one of the rare joint projects that's actually worth the effort.
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On 'We're All Going Down," Cass Clayton and her band deliver a potent blues/southern soul combination for modern times.
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Describing male falsetto as soulful may be like describing chocolate as chocolaty, but Desmond Myers' singing and his "Playing with Fire" epitomize that.
Bill Withers was a classic embodiment of a true, unadulterated musical genius, not just because of timeless hits, but also because they came from a man with a stutter and no musical education whatsoever.
It was passionate, powerful, soulful and vulnerable all at the same time. There were elements of funk and experimental R&B, accentuated by her extraordinary vocal range, and the message of the music was heartfelt and sincere.
Zacari turned me into a fan with one of the strongest debut projects to come out of the heavily stacked TDE camp. Potential star in the making.
While Hozier's 'Wasteland, Baby!' isn't the most original music, it is carried by his incredible voice and some really strong production. All in all, an enjoyable listen from front to back.
Ariana Grande's follow up to her well received 'Sweetener' is a pop banger that takes a scorched earth approach that delivers a simultaneously personal, yet impersonal ride that's brimming with self-determined energy.
ZAYN delivers a surprisingly subdued project that's all about the music and its biggest accomplishment is being as consistently good as it was through all 27 tracks.
DaniLeigh's 'The Plan' was a surprisingly versatile project that was equally strong in its singing and rapping instances and she checks all of the boxes of a prototypical star in the making.
While not as realized or surprising as Kendrick's 'Black Panther' album, Mike WiLL Made-It still delivers a largely enjoyable album that will surely push more collaborations between Hollywood and hip-hop.
Khalid's latest is more of a sidestep than a leap forward and although he shows some maturation and still can create generally enjoyable music, it all feels rather inconsequential.
JMSN dives even further into his love and appreciation for traditional R&B and soul and has delivered maybe his best album yet.
