Best Neo Soul

Frank Ocean's 2012 debut studio album, released on Def Jam Recordings. It is an alternative R&B concept record that features a loose narrative following a character named Everest. The album includes guest appearances from Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, and André 3000, and explores themes of un...

D'Angelo's second studio album, released in 2000 on the Virgin label. The recording sessions took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, featuring extensive jam sessions with musicians like Questlove on drums, Pino Palladino on bass, and Charlie Hunter. The music incorporates elements of f...

D'Angelo's third studio album, released in 2014 on RCA Records after a 14-year hiatus. Credited to D'Angelo and the Vanguard, the record features a blend of funk, soul, and psychedelic rock with unpolished, jam-oriented production. The lyrics address contemporary social issues, race relations, and r...

"A Seat at the Table" is the third studio album by American singer Solange, released in 2016 through Saint Records and Columbia Records. The album explores themes of Black identity, empowerment, and healing, interspersed with spoken-word interludes featuring figures like Master P. It blends elements...

"Untitled (Black Is)" is a studio album by the anonymous British collective Sault, released in June 2020. The album was produced by Inflo and features contributions from vocalist Cleo Sol. Spanning 20 tracks, the record blends neo-soul, R&B, and gospel, serving as a direct artistic response to the B...

"Mama's Gun" is the second studio album by American singer Erykah Badu, released in 2000 by Motown Records. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios with a wide array of live session musicians, expanding upon the neo-soul sound of her debut. It incorporates deeper funk, jazz, and soul texture...

Lauryn Hill's 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' is a groundbreaking fusion of hip-hop, R&B, and soul. Its honest lyrics, powerful vocals, and innovative production established Hill as a defining voice of her generation. The albums exploration of motherhood, spirituality, and social justice continues...

"Dirty Computer" is the third studio album by American singer Janelle Monáe, released in 2018 through Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records. The album is accompanied by a 44-minute narrative film, referred to as an "emotion picture," which expands upon the record's dystopian themes. It explores conce...

"Baduizm" is the debut studio album by American singer Erykah Badu, released in 1997 on Kedar Records. The record introduced her distinctive blend of jazz, spoken word, and classic soul influences to a mainstream audience. Featuring prominent hip-hop elements and live instrumentation, the album is w...

D'Angelo's 1995 debut studio album, released on EMI Records, played a pivotal role in defining the neo-soul movement of the 1990s. The record heavily draws upon 1970s funk and soul traditions while integrating contemporary R&B production styles. Featuring standout tracks like "Brown Sugar" and "Lady...

Released in 2010, "The ArchAndroid" is the debut studio album by Janelle Monáe, issued through Bad Boy Records. This conceptual record comprises the second and third suites of her ongoing "Metropolis" science fiction narrative. The album extensively blends funk, neo-soul, indie pop, and classical in...

"Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite" is the debut concept album by R&B singer Maxwell, released in 1996 on Columbia Records. Structured as a single, continuous narrative of a romantic encounter, the album played a crucial role in popularizing the neo-soul genre alongside the works of D'Angelo and Erykah Bad...

"New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)" is the fourth studio album by Erykah Badu, released in 2008 on Universal Motown. As the first installment of a two-part series, it marks a significant stylistic departure from her earlier acoustic soul, instead embracing abstract hip-hop beats and psychedelic...

"Jaime" is the debut solo studio album by Brittany Howard, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Alabama Shakes, released in 2019. The album is titled in memory of her late sister, who passed away when they were teenagers, and it serves as an introspective exploration of grief, racial ide...

Heaux Tales is a studio EP by Philadelphia R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan, released on RCA Records in 2021. It combines original songs with spoken-word interludes exploring women's experiences with relationships and sexuality. The release debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy A...

What's the 411? is the debut studio album by Mary J. Blige, released on Uptown Records in 1992. Executive produced by Sean Combs, it blends R&B vocals with hip-hop production and samples. The album includes the single "Real Love," which reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart and samples the A...

Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by Philadelphia singer-songwriter Jill Scott, released on Hidden Beach Recordings in 2000. It blends soul, jazz, hip-hop, and spoken word. The album features the singles "Gettin' in the Way" and "A Long Walk," both of which reached...

Lianne La Havas is the self-titled third studio album by British singer-songwriter Lianne La Havas, released on Warner Records in 2020. It was her first album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. The release blends soul, folk, and rock influences and includes a cover of Radiohead's "Weird Fis...

"House of Music" is the fourth and final studio album by the American R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, released in 1996 on Mercury Records. The record refines the group's classic soul direction by emphasizing live instrumentation, sophisticated vocal harmonies, and organic funk production. It features t...

Roy Hargrove was a prominent American jazz musician known for his innovative approach to trumpet playing. He blended traditional hard-bop and neo-soul styles with influences from Afro-Cuban music, as exemplified by his acclaimed Crisol project. Hargrove’s work appealed to listeners interested in con...

"Sons of Soul" is the third studio album by the American R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, released in 1993 on Wing and Mercury Records. The record blends new jack swing rhythms with classic soul melodies, prominent live instrumentation, and funk influences. Featuring hit singles like "If I Had No Loot"...

Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright in 1971 in Dallas, Texas) is an American singer-songwriter and producer whose 1997 debut album Baduizm became a cornerstone of the neo-soul movement. Her work blends R&B, jazz, and hip-hop with introspective, philosophical lyrics, heard on subsequent releases such...

The Robert Glasper Trio is a jazz group led by American pianist and composer Robert Glasper, with piano supported by acoustic bass and drums. Its recordings and performances combine jazz improvisation with rhythmic and harmonic ideas associated with hip-hop, gospel, and contemporary R&B. The trio re...

"An Evening with Silk Sonic" is the debut studio album by the American R&B duo Silk Sonic, consisting of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. Released in 2021 on Aftermath Entertainment and Atlantic Records, the album is a deliberate homage to 1970s soul, funk, and quiet storm music. It features the chart...

"The Electric Lady" is the second studio album by American singer Janelle Monáe, released in 2013 on Bad Boy Records. The album continues the Afrofuturist Metropolis narrative established in her earlier work, blending funk, soul, hip-hop, and rock elements. Structured as a double album, it features...

"BLACKsummers'night" is the 2009 studio album by American R&B singer Maxwell, released on Columbia Records following an eight-year hiatus. The album serves as the first installment of a conceptual trilogy, emphasizing live instrumentation, particularly horns and strings, over digital production. It...

Tyler, the Creator’s *Flower Boy* is a 2017 hip-hop album blending introspective lyrics with neo-soul influences. The project draws on West Coast sounds and explores themes of identity, relationships, and navigating nightlife. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Grammy Award, appeal...

"Black Radio" is a studio album by American pianist and producer Robert Glasper, released in 2012 on Blue Note Records. The album merges acoustic jazz instrumentation with the rhythmic structures of hip-hop and contemporary R&B. It was recorded with Glasper's Experiment band and built around live-in...

"The Way I See It" is the third solo studio album by American singer and producer Raphael Saadiq, released in 2008 on Columbia Records. A deliberate homage to the Motown and Stax sounds of the 1960s, the album relies on meticulous vintage arrangements, including prominent tambourines, walking bassli...