R&B Songs

Contemporary R&B is about voice and groove: layered harmonies, expressive vocal runs, and rhythms borrowed from soul, hip-hop and electronic music. This page covers the '90s and early-2000s peak — TLC, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Ginuwine, Usher and Beyoncé — and the slow-jam tradition carried on by Maxwell, John Legend and Miguel. Many of these songs center on love and heartbreak, which is why R&B also dominates the site's romantic mood page.

Most of the list, though, reflects the last fifteen years, when R&B turned moodier and more atmospheric. Frank Ocean's “Nights” and “Ivy,” SZA's run from Ctrl to SOS, The Weeknd's dark, synth-heavy productions and Daniel Caesar's gospel-tinged ballads sit next to the brighter, pop-leaning hooks of Doja Cat and Ella Mai, and Childish Gambino's “Redbone,” a deliberate throwback to '70s funk. If one of these songs is exactly your speed, open it to find more tracks with the same vocal feel and tempo.