New R&B albums flood streaming services every week, so HipHopDX has narrowed them down to the essentials, providing readers with a list of the must-listen projects.
The R&B space has been quiet so far in terms of full-length releases. Subsequently, this month’s list was short. But the heavy hitters are looking to drop later in the year, so be sure to stay updated with our future lists. The top of the year saw amazing work from 070 Shake, Free Nationals and Kaytranada.
This article is part of DX’s monthly “Best of The Year” series. Check out some of DX’s other lists to stay up-to-date with all of the new music dropping this year. This month’s article includes albums released between December 1, 2019 and January 28, 2020.
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Check out the Top R&B Albums of January 2020.
070 Shake, Modus Vivendi
070 Shake‘s Modus Vivendi is R&B plus more. It’s an album that certainly deserves a slot on any “Best Of The Year” list so far. The album is genre-bending, unique and includes a bevy of standout songs. Upon its release, Modus Vivendi received a DX review score of 4 out of 5 and was described as a “Mantovani-style soundscape heard in a sensory deprivation salt tank.”
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Free Nationals, Free Nationals
The Free Nationals are an amazing trope of musicians and they are experts at displaying another side of R&B in the most authentic, soulful way. On their self-titled album, they blend funk, jazz, Hip Hop, R&B and soul, proving with or without their lead singer Anderson .Paak, they can deliver a memorable body of work.
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Kaytranada, Bubba
Kaytranada closed out 2019 by giving fans Bubba, which saw him refine his sound, take risks and collaborate with a wide range of artists from GoldLink to Pharrell Williams. Standout tracks include “Go DJ” featuring SiR and “Vex Oh” featuring Eight9FLY.
