In my constant pursuit to increase reader interactivity and excitement on The Lava Lizard, I am elated to introduce a new series to the site entitled Flaming Features. This segments allow you to participated in discussions with your fellow readers. Kicking off the fun with a bang is our list of the 10 greatest R&B albums of the last 10 years!
From Alicia Keys’ ‘The Diary of Alicia Keys’ to Usher’s ‘Confessions’, there have been several R&B albums that were both commercially successful and critically acclaimed. However, those aren’t the only points that were considered by The Lava Lizard team as we compiled this list of the greatest releases.
Perhaps, the most important facet was the impact of these albums on the genre of R&B music, fellow artists and the fabric of Pop culture. Focusing primarily on those records released during the 2002-2011 period, this list focuses on those efforts that were critical to the development of R&B.
So, without further sugar-fueled rambling by me, see the list of the 10 greatest R&B albums of the last 10 years below:
10. The-Dream – ‘Love vs. Money’
The-Dream released his ‘Love vs. Money’ album in 2009 to major fanfare from critics across the board. Although the album was not as commercially successful as its ‘Love Hate’ predecessor, it inspired the musical stylings of several artists in the field of Hip-Hop and R&B, such as Drake, Chris Brown, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean.
In fact, the demand for The-Dream’s sound was so great that he happily recreated it while writing music for other acts. Just listen to Ciara’s ‘Basic Instinct’ and Mariah Carey ‘Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel’ albums if you have any doubt.
Standout tracks: ‘Fancy’, ‘Put it Down’, ‘Walking on the Moon (ft. Kanye West)’, ‘Mr. Yeah’ and ‘Rockin’ That Shit’.
9. Maxwell – ‘BLACKsummers’night’
After an 8-year hiatus from the industry, Maxwell finally returned in 2009 with his highly anticipated ‘BLACKsummers’night’ album. Boasting the sounds of traditional R&B, Soul and Quiet Storm, the record showcased the Maxwell at his best as he modernised the music of his inspirations – Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Al Green.
What truly made ‘BLACKsummers’night’ great, however, was Maxwell’s unfiltered vocal performances and brilliant musicianship. Without question, this record cemented his position as a giant among far less talented men, and he has the Grammy Awards to prove it!
Standout tracks: ‘Bad Habits’, ‘Pretty Wings’, ‘Fistful of Tears’ and ‘Stop the World’.
8. Mary J. Blige – ‘The Breakthrough’
Mary J. Blige enjoyed consistent success on the charts throughout her early career but the album that truly defined her position among the great R&B artists of our time was 2005′s ‘The Breakthrough’. Bold and honest, the LP introduced the world to a singer who was finally comfortable in her own skin.
‘The Breakthrough’ gave us the best of a ‘happy’ Blige and despite bass-heavy cuts, such as ‘Enough Cryin”, she had adopted a more commercial R&B sound than her previous darker works. Indeed, this album was even good enough to help us forget her somewhat disappointing ‘Love & Life’ record.
Standout tracks: ‘Be Without You’, ‘Enough Cryin”, ‘Take Me As I Am’ and ‘One (Ft. U2)’.
7. Brandy – ‘Full Moon’
Throughout the 1990s, Brandy enjoyed massive success as the sugary sweet face of the R&B teen scene. More approachable than Monica and nowhere near as daring as Aaliyah, she was the Sunday school princess that our parents were happy to welcome into their homes.
Yet, Brandy revamped her style in 2002 – both vocally and musically – and presented a mature artist who was ready to embrace womanhood via her ‘Full Moon’ album. Wielding a darker and huskier voice, she experimented with different aspects of her artistry and accessed an entirely new audience of fans.
Standout tracks: ‘Full Moon’, ‘What About Us?’, ‘Nothing’ and ‘Love Wouldn’t Count Me Out’.
6. Justin Timberlake – ‘Future Sex/Love Sounds’
I know what you’re thinking: “what in the name of sweet baby Pikachu is Justin Timberlake doing on this list?” Well, despite this stint in ‘N Sync as a Bubblegum Pop star, ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’ was still an R&B album at its core.
Inspired by the works of Prince, Michael Jackson and Timbaland, the last of whom co-produced the entire album, ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’ depicted Timberlake at his best. He may be grossly overrated when compared to true icons but this album is certainly worth a mention on any list, thanks to clever mixes of R&B, Electro Pop and Hip-Hop.
Standout tracks: ‘My Love (Ft. T.I.)’, ‘SexyBack (Ft. Timbaland’, ‘What Goes Around…’ and ‘Until the End of Time’.
5. Beyonce – ‘Dangerously in Love’
Destiny’s Child was obviously put together so Beyonce could eventually launch her solo career and that is exactly what she did with 2003′s ‘Dangerously in Love’ album. Including the inescapable hits ‘Crazy in Love’ and ‘Baby Boy (Ft. Sean Paul)’, the record is still arguably the best in the diva’s catalogue and one of the most impressive debut efforts of our time.
Scott Storch, Rich Harrison and several other top songwriters in the game were commissioned to give Beyonce the best music possible and her unique sassy delivery made those songs guilty pleasures. This is the Beyonce that true fans of R&B music miss.
Standout tracks: ‘Me, Myself & I’, ‘Crazy in Love’, ‘Naughty Girl’, ‘Speechless’ and ‘Be With You’.
4. Destiny’s Child – ‘Destiny Fulfilled’
Shortly after launching her solo career, Beyonce temporarily rejoined Destiny’s Child for one final album. ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ was released in 2004 and unlike the group’s previous efforts, all of the members got the chance to sing and pretend that Beyonce wasn’t the star of the show.
Slick harmonies and clever lyrics replaced the generic Pop-oriented hooks of Destiny’s Child’s previously released ‘Survivor’ album, thus presenting the trio as mature and well-rounded artists on ‘Destiny Fulfilled’. We even got to see Kelly Rowland shine on centre stage as she gave us false hope for a solo career that never properly materialised.
Standout tracks: ‘If’, ‘Through with Love’, ‘T-Shirt’, ‘Lose My Breath’ and ‘Cater 2 U’.
3. Alicia Keys – ‘The Diary of Alicia Keys’
Don’t you just miss the good old days when Alicia Keys’ voice was still sweet, her hair was in braids and she walked with a gangster lean? We all miss that time but at least we still have ‘The Diary of Alicia Keys’ to remind of that not so distant past.
Crafted before Keys was introduced to her now overused drum set, ‘The Diary of Alicia Keys’ was a testament of an artist was eager to express herself without trying to match some imaginary standard of perfection. Better yet, this album was not a cheap knockoff of Sade’s greatest hits. Rather, it was just a woman spilling her heart over a collection of keys and unforgettable melodies.
Standout tracks: ‘Diary’, ‘Karma’, ‘If I Ain’t Got You’, ‘You Don’t Know My Name’ and ‘Heartburn’.
2. Usher – ‘Confessions’
This list of greatest R&B albums would be incomplete if Usher’s ‘Confessions’ was omitted. By far the biggest-selling R&B album of the last 10 years, this disc broke almost every record possible and launched Usher to the status of a global superstar.
Every single from ‘Confessions’ was a hit and Usher was at the top of playlists across the media outlets for almost 2 years. He hasn’t been able to match the success of this album but he would be silly if he tried.
Jermaine Durpri, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Lil Jon were the masterminds behind ‘Confessions’. No wonder it was such a colossal success!
Standout tracks: ‘Caught Up’, ‘Burn’, ‘Yeah!’, ‘Bad Girl’ and ‘Confessions Part II’.
1. Mariah Carey – ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’
You knew ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’ would be at the top of this lineup so don’t even try to act surprised. Released in 2005, this album relaunched Mariah Carey’s cooling career and helped her to reclaim her crown as the industry’s ruling diva.
Without attempting to recreate her past works, Carey unleashed the full force of her range on ‘Mimi’ with a glorious combination of R&B, Soul, Funk and Gospel. Best of all, she was being herself without trying to fit in with the younger generation of competing artists.
Of course, we all know the monster hit ‘We Belong Together’ off ‘Mimi’ but it’s commercial success wasn’t the only reason it was great; it was the music. The song redefined the modern R&B ballad with its mid-tempo production and influenced the works of several artists in subsequent years, such as Alicia Keys (‘No One’), Mary J. Blige (‘Be Without You’) and Leona Lewis (‘Bleeding Love’). ‘Mimi’ is the perfect representation of Carey’s legacy.
Standout tracks: ‘We Belong Together’, ‘Stay the Night’, ‘Mine Again’, ‘Get Your Number’ and ‘Fly like a Bird’.
Now, it’s your turn to join the fun! Which of these albums is the best? Which albums should be moved down the list or omitted? What other albums should have been added to the list? Share your opinions and take part in our poll below!
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I vote Alicia keys jsut cause my mom used to ALWAYS play it, it was pretty good.
Nobody better not even TRY and say TEOM doesn’t deserve to be number 1. That album was AMAZING! My faves on this list are TEOM, Confessions and FutureSex/LoveSounds but overall this is a pretty good list
Oh & Dangerously in love
Keyshia Cole’s Just Like You should be on this list
NO HER FIRST ALBUM WAS BETTER…The Way It Is…..
yaaaasssss the first album was everything
no, i think her second album should be, that shit was amazing! i love almost every track on it. “just like you” was more put together then the first.
i agree!! “just Like You” was one of the best r&b albums in recent years! vocally, lyrically, and musically.
I would have placed Alicia Keys at #1 but Emancipation is an amazing album too.
Obviously The Emancipation Of Mimi is the best R&B album of the last 10 years, obviously!
‘…….and several other top songwriters in the game were commissioned to give Beyonce the best music possible’ haaaa, here we go again with beyonce’s lying/non writing ass.
personally, i believe she actually wrote songs from her dc days to dangerously in love when the hunger to be an even bigger star was still strong. but as she got bigger she just stole other people’s songs and put her name on it. and thats the way its been since bday till present.
maybe the insipration disappeared cause she finally got to the top.
not surprised who’s number one….. boring ass album. yeah….
anyways….
FSLS is RNB but its a shame he put the album in the pop category for the grammys smh
I bet you don’t even own a copy of the album.
Actually, I do. I love Shake it off, We belong together, Its like that, dont forget about us, and fly like a bird, but everything else is boring.
LOL I find it hard to believe that you own a Mariah album considering how much you always bash her but whatever. You’re letting your dislike for her cloud your judgement. There are quite a few people commenting on this article who aren’t the biggest Mariah fans but they can still admit that TEOM was an amazing album.
Love your list, with exception of a couple I didn’t hear all the way through, I think this is a good one. For my personal taste, it is between Usher & Justin’s album. Those two albums were a very big symbol musically of my years in middle school and high school.
Of course Mimi is my fav and her album was legendary as are her other albums!
AMAZING LIST!!!!! Mariah’s ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’ is definitely the best R&B album in the last 10 years!! No.1 worthy…..I love Justin, Usher, Alicia and Beyonce albums too
everyone hating saying EoM shouldn’t be #1—> what album comes close?
This is a really good list. Some I might have included are Afrodisiac (Brandy), Ready (Trey Songz), Go (Mario), Year of the Gentleman (Ne-Yo), and Evolver (John Legend). I know that some of these weren’t the most “impactful”, but they are solid R&B albums.
or trey songz’ i gotta make it or trey day or mario’s turning point
YEAH I AGREE AFRODISIAC IS WAYYYYYYYYY BETTER THEN FULL MOON..
.I TRIED, “Talk About Our Love” (featuring Kanye West) Who Is She 2 U, Should I Go, Finally
Umm r u crazy???? Full Moon Is one of the best Albums I have ever heard. That Album was art!…Not only were there great songs and amazing vocals, but the production and the way that each song led flawlessly into the next was amazing… Full Moon is one of those Albums that you listen to str8 through….can you say the same about Afrodisiac?…I can think of about 4 songs that I can skip on that Album…Not so much on Full Moon. I agree with you that the Beginning of Afrodisiac is FIRE…but the middle has some tracks that could definately go. She finished big with those last two however…Full Moon Is good from beginning to end…can’t say the same for TEOM…some great songs, but not great from beginning to end like Full Moon.
I cannot believe I forgot Jazmine Sullivan. Her albums “Fearless” and “Love Me Back” are both amazing.
Oh yeah and Fantasia should be on there instead of Theifonce. But other than that GREAT LIST!
Thiefonce? Lol!
Theifonce?! :: weeps ::
I usually agree with you, but this is SO wrong: best R&B albums list without Monica’s “After The Storm” and Faith Evan’s “The First Lady”? Really Trent? And instead of one of them (or Fantasia ’cause of her last album) you put Justin Timberlake. Oh well…
And what about Jill Scott’s “The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3″? Try again, Trent. Try to make a decent list, please.
Should have brandy afrodisiac it was way better than dangerously in love
Amazing list ! But Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped” should definitely be on here.
I agree with most of this. Usher’s 8701 should’ve been in this list instead of the dream and the top 3 is all correct, but the order is debatable.
Are yall serious with that Poll Brandys full moon was the shit!! yet she only got a 6 % lol
I loved TEOM but Blacksummer’s Night and The Diary of Alicia Keys were far superior albums. Also Get Lifted by John Legend, Fearless By Jazmine Sullivan, and The Evolution of Robin Thicke should be up there. Matter of fact i’m not sure about this list Trent.
Usher should be #1 hands down. That album is the bomb
I enjoyed this article. It reminded me of the good ol days when R&B was selling. I would change out Dangerously in Love for B’Day (that’s Bey’s best album IMO) and Brandy’s Full Moon Album for Aphrodisiac (that was underrated greatness that inspired other artists). I didn’t like the Breakthrough or Destiny Fulfilled albums. Other than that, good list.
This list >>> You cannot deny the amazingness of Mariah’s TEOM and Alicia’s “The Diary of Alicia Keys”.
the emancipation of mimi is a great album i don’t think its the best though it’s not even one of my fav mariah albums and i’m a lamb
Yessssss! Emancipation was everything! I could listen to the entire cd without having to skip to many songs. That album is a classic and I still be bumping this cd. I should be your girl, Joy ride, Stay the night, the list goes on and on! And I think that Bday was better than Dangerously in love.
and i have a love hate relationship with Dangerously in Love as well but love destiny fulfilled that album has helped me so much in the past
1. The Emancipation
2. Dangerously in Love (the top two switch from time to time)
3. Aaliyah (Red Album)
4. Confessions (because of the success)
5. Destiny Fulfilled
6. The Diary of Alicia Keys
7. Full Moon
8. Future Sex/ Love Sound
my last two are simply honorable mentions, because these albums are PERFECT. but they weren’t as successful or had any serious impact
9. All I Have – Amerie
10. Between Friends – Tamia
**for my underground kweens**
Complex Simplicity by Teedra Moses
yea aaliyahs album slayed it was new different sounding and it provided some of her best work!
How did the king of R&B not make the list!? Chocolate Factory should have been on this list!
At least the queen is on here lol
i feel as thoguh alicia’s diary and usher’s confessions r more respected than the emancipation. MC should be nos 3. that was an amazing album, dont get me wrong, but most ppl consider the other two to be better. Plus they had bigger pop cultural impact. That is not to say MC’s didnt cos WBT was a monster success but Usher should be 1, alicia 2, MC 3
[...] rest of the write-up, and view the other albums that made the list, check out the original post at The Lava Lizard! Go to source: Mariah Tops The Lava Lizard's Top 10 R&B Albums List var [...]
I agree with the list, but switch Alicia’s and Usher’s album spots.
“Lady Love” by LeToya…that is all
Definately have to agree with you on that one… That is a Great R&B album. So underated…some could argue that her albums as a whole could be as good if not better than Beyonce’s…
‘Dangerously in Love’ remains her strongest album to date, and was a flawless debut. ‘Confessions’, ‘The Emancipation…’, ‘Destiny Fulfilled’, ‘The Breakthrough’ #Agreed
I would include ‘As I Am’, ‘Just Like You’, ‘Ready’, ‘Complex Simplicity’
I like this list but yall don’t understand… BRANDY’S FULL MOON ALBUM >>>>>>>
Those songs with her tone and vocal stylings!!!!!
Yall not ready for that! Smh 10 years late and counting…
btw… “When You Touch Me” and “He Is” should’ve definitely been included in the standout tracks section… go check it out if yall are true R&B junkies like myself!
This album, oh my freaking goodness! Brandy was changing the game with this album. She carved her own sound that no one was doing. She and Darkchild made magic on this album for real. #classic
Well Said
My top 10 R&B albums list of the last 10 years would look something like this: (in no particular order)
1. Mariah Carey – The Emacipation of Mimi
2. Brandy – Full Moon
3. Usher – Confessions
4. Mario – Go
5. Fantasia – Back To Me / Free Yourself (both are really good)
6. John Legend – Evolver / Get Lifted (how can you choose out of the two?)
7. Keyshia Cole – Just Like You
8. Chris Brown – Exclusive
9. R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory
10. Usher – Here I Stand (sooooo slept on!)
***Notible mentions:
1. Tank – Sex, Love & Pain
2. Mary Mary – The Sound (I know its gospel but that is a really good album)
3. The Dream – Love Vs Money
4. Mariah Carey – Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
5. Brandy – Afrodisiac
Make sure to go purchase a copy of Brandy’s new album “Two Eleven”! If you love R&B, this is the album for you!!!!
Usher and Mariah’s albums deserve to be the top 2. Those albums broke so many records it not even funny. Between 2004-2006, these 2 artist DOMINATED MUSIC. Usher had 4 straight #1′s. Mariah had 2 #1′s, became the first female lead to hold #1 and #2 songs in the country at the same time, SMASHED
[...] site de notícias, “The Lava Lizard”, fez uma lista com os dez maiores discos de R&B da década passada. O disco “The Emancipation [...]
I agree completely. My standout tracks from Mimi are quite different though: “We Belong Together” (of course), “One and Only” (so underrated, the original — quite possibly her best rap collaboration to date), “Shake It Off,” “Your Girl,” (I bet Michael was proud) and “Secret Love” (the #1 that never was).
THE DREAM’S LOVE/HATE WAS A ALBUM YOU COULD PLAY ALL TE WAY THROUGH. LOVE VS. MONEY WAS GOOD BUT NOT AS GOOD AS LOVE/HATE.
Hmmmm, i agree but i think Chris ‘F.A.M.E’ and Aaliyah’s ‘Red’ should have been added.
Love you MC, Your music will always inspire me! Please don’t stop singing! We need those big ballads! Take care Mariah, rest your voice well, God Bless you.
Where’s Amy’s “Back To Black”?
I would add Leona Lewis’s Spirit.
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black should be on here if it could be classified as R&B. Same goes for John Legend – Get Lifted (I actually prefer Once Again, but that didn’t have as great an impact)
uhm the Aaliyah album was missing, Alicia keys cd was boring as hell but I guess if you have to include her….her second one was her only good cd. amerie first two were better choices. And everybody who hollering chris,neyo or trey….chile please. they gets no spots for that trendy
generic shit. to me they are not memorable or creative.
only originators need apply. everything else was cool tho out the people you mentioned.
This list was really good, all of these albums had chart success, sold really good, had hit singles, and majority of these artist if not all could perform a concert singing the entire track list in concert and the crowd would sing along to every song. I think its great when you have an artist who people want to hear more than just there singles at a concert. Its nice to enjoy a complete album.
Destiny Fulfilled is really underrated that and Dangerously in Love, I feel they both could of plugged a lot more singles than they did. Love Confessions and Full Moon too. TEOM I feel had a lot of filler tracks and the best songs were actually the singles, so I wouldn’t of put it on top of the list, personally.
The #1 is totally deserved! One of the greatest comebacks in music. And I think the Aaliyah album wasn’t included because the title says “last 10 years” and it came out 11 years ago.
I thought that too but Alicias cd came out around the same time as Aaliyah’s. I remember being shocked it was number 1 around that time…
The Alicia Keys cd that you’re thinking of is her first one “Songs In A Minor”. That one came out in 2001 and was charting when Aaliyah was still alive. The cd Trent put on this list “The Diary of Alicia Keys” came out in 2003, 2 years after Aaliyah died.
“Crafted before Keys was introduced to her now overused drum set” LOOOOOL
Never has a truer word been speaking
Never has a truer word been spoken*
heaven & earth is a great R&b song.
… [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRETiR1a2N4&w=420&h=315
This is a good list. I would have included Back to Me by Fantasia though. That was a definitive R&B album. And I think Songs in A Minor > Diary.
I’m not a big Mariah Fan, but yeah! i think TEOM was the best!
FSLS was a hot album indeed. Some albums for me that were notable in the last decade would be Once Again for sure. John Legend’s artistry on that album was impeccable. Chrisette Michelle’s Epiphany or Melanie Fiona’s The Bridge. Trey Songz’s Ready is pretty dope. I’d appreciate it more if he’s stop given me the same album every time. I want to say Jeanelle Monae but that depends on your definition of R&B. but I agree with the list.
Mariah at the top. no doubt! well deserved!
[...] Read the full article here. [...]
I would remove The-Dream’s “Love vs. Money” and Destiny’s Child’s “Destiny Fulfilled,” and place Jill Scott’s “Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2,” and John Legend’s “Get Lifted” somewhere on this list.
Besides those changes, I think this list was a pretty good one!