THE 100 BEST R&B SONGS OF 2021, PRESENTED BY SOUL IN STEREO X YOUKNOWIGOTSOUL.COM
Call me crazy, but I thought 2021 was a pretty good year for R&B!
Crazy Bowser, you’re crazy. Why would you say something so crazy?
Obviously, we’re a LONG way from the glory days of the 1990s when R&B ruled the charts. This ain’t even the late 2000s, when the genre was phasing down but still had its moments.
But look at my list of best albums of 2021 and see how strongly R&B is represented. Sure, they might not all be mainstream hits but the quality is there.
That’s why I’m excited about this list.
As is annual tradition, my boys from YouKnowIGotSoul.com have teamed with me to celebrate the 100 best R&B cuts of the year. Tom, Kyle and I submitted our nominations, we dropped them all in an excel doc, and then ranked them from bottom to top. We then averaged the scores together and what you see is what you get – the best of the best.
Some of the songs you’ll know. Many you won’t. But I promise there’s something here for you to love.
I won’t be naive enough to proclaim that R&B IS BACK. But there’s still a lot to celebrate.
Take a look at the list and peep the playlist below.
1) The Shindellas – Volcano Love
2) Joyce Wrice – Chandler
3) Eric Roberson – Lessons
4) Salaam Remi – All I Need is You (featuring Claudette Ortiz)
5) After 7 – Made A Man Of Me
6) Silk Sonic – Leave the Door Open
7) Victoria Monet – Coastin
8) Sidibe – Ready Enough
9) Snoh Aalegra – In Your Eyes
10) The Shindellas – When You’re Lonely
11) India Shawn – Too Sweet (featuring Unknown Mortal Orchestra)
12) Joyce Wrice – Falling In Love (featuring Lucky Daye)
13) Kevin Ross – Looking for Love
14) Adrian Marcel – I Gotchu (End of the Day)
15) Van Jess – Slow Down (featuring Lucky Daye)
16) India Shawn – Superfine
17) Jazmine Sullivan – The Other Side
18) Teedra Moses – Make Me
19) Kevin Ross – Sweet Release
20) Joyce Wrice – On One (featuring Freddie Gibbs)
21) Gallant – Comeback
22) Sevyn Streeter – Taboo
23) Lucky Daye – How Much Can a Heart Take (featuring Yebba)
24) Ari Lennox – Pressure
25) Gallant – No More Tries (featuring Van Jess)
26) Sinead Harnett – Ready Is Always Too Late
27) Silk Sonic – Smokin Out The Window
28) Gallant – Julie
29) Silk Sonic – After Last Night (featuring Thundercat & Bootsy Collins)
30) Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – Happily Unhappy (featuring Toni Braxton)
31) Leela James – You’re The One
32) Netta Brielle – Missin You
33) Kenny Lattimore – Pressure
34) India Shawn – Don’t Play With My Heart
35) Jade Novah – I Just Wanna Know
36) Kevin Ross – Lady Love
37) Victoria Monet – F**K
38) Leela James – Complicated
39) Snoh Aalegra – Just Like That
40) After 7 – No Place Like You
41) Anthony Hamilton – I Thought We Were In Love
42) Robin Thicke – Lucky Star
43) Joelle James – Apply Pressure
44) Raheem DeVaughn & Apollo Brown – If I Made Love To You
45) Anthony Hamilton – You Made a Fool of Me
46) Earth, Wind & Fire – You Want My Love (featuring Lucky Daye)
47) Muni Long – Hrs and Hrs
48) Rochelle Jordan – Broken Steel
49) Keith Sweat & Raheem DeVaughn – Can’t Nobody
50) Raheem DeVaughn & Apollo Brown – Zaddy (featuring 3D Na’tee)
51) Robin Thicke – Out of My Mind
52) Stokley – Cascade (featuring The Bonfyre)
53) H.E.R. – Come Through (featuring Chris Brown)
54) H.E.R. – Closer To Me
55) Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – Somewhat Loved (There You Go Breakin My Heart) (featuring Mariah Carey
56) NAO – Messy Love
57) Tank – Can’t Let It Show
58) Kindred the Family Soul – Break It Down
59) Raheem DeVaughn & Apollo Brown – When a Man
60) Lion Babe – Home
61) Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – The Next Best Day (featuring Boyz II Men)
62) Van Jess – Come Over Again
63) Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – Maybe I’ve Changed (featuring Heather Headley)
64) Snoh Aalegra – Neon Peach (featuring Tyler the Creator)
65) PJ Morton – Please Don’t Walk Away
66) Snoh Aalegra – Lost You
67) Tone Stith – When You Love Someone (featuring H.E.R.)
68) Justine Skye – Innocent (featuring Justin Timberlake)
69) Stokley – Rush (featuring H.E.R.)
70) Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – Do It Yourself (featuring Usher)
71) Afgan – Alone With You
72) Hil St. Soul – Blessed (featuring Noel Gourdin)
73) JoJo – Dissolve
74) Tweet – Neva Gonna Break My Heart Again
75) Trevor Jackson – Bouts To Be
76) Kelly Price – Grace
77) After 7 – The Day (featuring Stokley)
78) Ruff Endz – Be the One
79) Mack Wilds – Simple Things
80) Lady Wray – Under the Sun
81) Stokley – Lost
82) Louis York – Headphones
83) Lil’ Mo – Shining Star (featuring T-Pain & Fatman Scoop)
84) BluPrint – Go Don’t Leave
85) Elijah Blake – Dark Skin (featuring D Smoke, Durand Bernarr & Muni Long)
86) Summer Walker – Insane
87) Bobby V. – I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
88) JoJo Hailey – Official
89) JoJo Hailey – Got What U Want (featuring Devin Hailey)
90) Tinashe – Bouncin
91) D-Nice – No Plans For Love (featuring Ne-Yo & Kent Jones)
92) Brent Faiyaz – Wasting Time (featuring Drake)
93) Mario – Get Back (featuring Chris Brown)
94) Donell Jones – Karma (Remix featuring Dave Hollister, RL, Carl Thomas & Jacquees)
95) Queen Naija – Passionate
96) Tank – I Deserve
97) Mr. Dalvin – And I
98) Gary “Lil G” Jenkins – That’s My Baby
99) Alicia Keys – Come for Me (featuring Khalid & Lucky Daye)
100) Normani – Wild Side (featuring Cardi B)
I love this list. I see some 2021 gems only true R&B fans would know on here. Especially that Claudette Ortiz and Salaam Remi song. A few great songs that may have missed your radar are below guys please check them out:
1. Asiahn – Fall Back (September 2021)
2. Adeline – Whisper My Name (January 2021)
3. Liv.e – Bout it (October 2021)
4. Camille Munn – Love Me B4 (June 2021)
5. Ojerime – Often Enough (June 2021)
6. Serpentwithfeet – Fellowship (January 2021)
It’s impossible to hear everything and the true gems you have to look for nowadays unfortunately, but let me save you that trouble.
If you like these songs I have a playlist of more missed gems I’m willing to share.
Lucky Daye made the list five times and arguably could have even more songs on this list (Over & Candy Drip anyone!) He needs an Appreciation Post for all the great music he gave us this year.