10 Newcomer R&B Albums You've Gotta Hear Before 2016
Bump these albums before 2k16, please.
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What a Year - 2015 was an imaginative year for R&B. Newcomers came into the game mixing everything from classic soul and even trap into the eclectic genre. These guys hail from all parts of the U.S.; even some from England and Canada. The year may be fading out, but these albums will remain bright. Check out some you may have missed.—Jon Reyes(Photos from left: Paul Morigi/Getty Images, Rick Kern/WireImage, Josh Brasted/FilmMagic)
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Lianne La Havas, Blood - La Havas has a quiet and subdued voice that rides the plucks of a guitar perfectly. Lianne, who hails from England, found her light on this, her second album. You can find the singer sassing on “What You Don’t Do” over a crisp bass and belting away on “Grow” with a voice that just soothes all the way.(Photo: Stefan Hoederath/Redferns)
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Kehlani, You Should Be Here - An ode to relationships is the main mission of this extremely focused album. With an incredible understated voice, the Oakland native breaks into modern blues territory with various tracks that include “The Way,” featuring Chance the Rapper. On the title track “You Should Be Here,” Kehlani sings, “Your body is here but your mind is somewhere else,” and that’s exactly what happens when this debut album plays.(Photo: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
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Andra Day, Cheers to the Fall - The past three years have found this incredible singer from San Diego desperately trying to find her voice. Since she signed to Warner Bros., she dabbled in feel-good pop. With tracks like “Red Flags” and “Gold,” we find Andra being the soul singer she’s every bit able to embody. Bathed in blues and '50s doo-wop, Andra’s debut is already a critic and an industry favorite. Just check her two Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance — the mark of a perfect beginning.(Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
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Raury, All We Need - How one of XXL’s Freshman Class made it onto an R&B list is a perfect testament to Raury’s talent. An obvious and well-meaning theme of peace and love permeates throughout the album and it doesn’t stifle. The Atlanta native throws folk music into the mix on title track “All We Need” and then ups the ante on “Trap Tears” by weaving folk guitars among a trap beat. He’ll even throw some '70s psychedelic rock into the mix with “Crystal Express,” but Raury’s lyricism and voice is #1.(Photo: Josh Brasted/FilmMagic)
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The Internet, Ego Death - Frank Ocean isn’t the only R&B gem that came out of the Odd Future collective. Ego Death is the follow-up, not a debut (2011’s Purple Naked Ladies was their debut) even though the critical acclaim seems to be picking up speedily. The album is up for Best Contemporary Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards. Syd the Kid stars as the main sugary vocals of the group that carries all the songs about love and lust cooly. Just check key highlights “Something’s Missing,” “Under Control” and “Go With It” for further proof.(Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
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Leon Bridges, Coming Home - Just a few seconds into Coming Home and it’s apparent that Leon is of another time. The album is a time capsule for the '50s and '60s R&B that paved the way for so much of the music that’s on today’s charts. With a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album, Leon has seduced critics and fans alike. It’d be easy to make a sonic throwback like this one and reference the political climate of the time, but Bridge’s does love and politics so swiftly and sweetly you might miss it. “Brown Skin Girl” and “Lisa Sawyer” (a song about his mother) both celebrate the intricacies and triumphs of Black femininity. So sweet, indeed.(Photo: Rick Kern/WireImage)
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Bryson Tiller - Tiller’s debut album really is trap-soul, if that was an actual genre, which after this it might be. This enigmatic approach to R&B finds the Louisville, Kentucky, native focusing on forgiveness (“Right My Wrong”), redemption (“The Sequence) and hometown glory (“502 Come Up”) seamlessly.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/Getty Images)
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Alessia Cara, Know-It-All - Alessia joins the ranks of artists (Drake and the Weeknd) that Canada has to offer. The young chanteuse was discovered through YouTube and once you hear the star's single, “Here,” you’ll realize the voice this youngin’ carries is well beyond her young 19 years. While the album at times might seem like it’s all over the place genre-wise, it's actually fused together perfectly thanks to Alessia’s classic R&B chops. With productions by Pop & Oak (who’ve already clocked in time with the likes of Miguel, Monica, and Chrisette Michele) the album is a real 2015 jewel.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions)
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Justine Skye, Emotionally Unavailable - It would be a Brooklyn native who could make the perfect R&B tracks over rap beats. Justine Skye does just that with her debut album, Emotionally Unavailable. “Don’t Worry” brings a whole new freshness to the independent woman genre with sleekness. Skye reps New York City proudly and alluringly on “A Train,” where riding the subway among noise and a crowd is the only way the singer can feel at one.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIDAL)