rolling r&b 2023

I dont mean to be a 'purist,' lol, but its kind of weird to say 'weeknd ran R&B!' and then look at, like, a youtube map of what audiences listen to, say, beyonce vs listen to the weeknd, and insist theyre the same genre

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/07/upshot/music-fandom-maps.html

are you asking abt a context of current relevance? b/c uh most of the artists you've listed are either basically inactive recently or their material is mostly being ignored + would be better fits for your list from 2010s. also impactful that decade were jhené aiko, jeremih

to the extent that radio is a barometer of audiences' leanings in the year 2023 (still relevant, tho to a declining degree), weeknd's music seldom gets played on stations w/ an r&b or 'mainstream urban' format these days. arguably a famous artist who's scoring many hits, almost none of which are being played at the radio stations serving the core audience for r&b, could be considered ehhh not rly r&b? literally his song w/ metro boomin, a cover of a major r&b hit from 2 decades ago, limped onto such playlists months after pop and even hot ac stations had already put it into heavy rotation. before "creepin", his last major hit at black radio in america was "the hills" from 2015 ("starboy" also cracked the top 10, tho briefly, at the mainstream urban format, + "i feel it coming" and his 2020 collab w/ calvin harris (lol) went top 10 at the adult r&b format, also briefly)

like should we be considering adele and sam smith among the influential r&b artists of last decade? b/c their track records w/ the core r&b audience are frankly not that dissimilar to weeknd's

weeknd seems to be part of the conversation and all the attempts at canon building on sites and podcasts that focus on r&b and he is as obviously influential in the field as drake, ocean and brown. also, every r&b artists seems to have a weeknd feature so I would say he is recognized as part of the community. i would say adele and smith are r&b but they are both conservatives aesthetically so their impact is harder to spot and less interesting to discuss.

anyway, i'm mostly interested in r&b as cutting edge pop basically. i brought out some names i figured could be worth following in that regard. open to further recommendations and pushback obviously.

Anyone heard the new Victoria Monet? Is it good?

definitely need to listen to that. has anyone seen her on tour? i hear she's a great performer but i don't know if i will be able to make it to any of her shows this time around

Victoria Monet dc show at 1,200 seat Howard Theatre sold out quick before I noticed it

I lost interest in her music but I have noticed she seems to be more popular now than I realized. I may check out her new track w Kaytranada.

It's been very well reviewed, fwiw

hmm I think the monet is good not great. the single I like a lot though

i actually didn't like the single much at first but it sounds perfect as part of the album

i don't think its highs are as high as the on the first jaguar but it flows beautifully, perhaps even moreso than the first. it's too bad it came out so late after that one but if you enjoyed it this is an easy recommendation

It’s good traditional r’n’b but yeah the highlights are just good not amazing

Since I Have a Lover album of the year so far. 6lack is r&b's Kendrick Lamar. depressed, tries to find a hopeful alternative in his subject matter and lifestyle, fails so is always tired, takes forever to release an album, the album is always good...

he's also part of the male trap r&b from Atlanta line with Future and Young Thug which is basically my favorite music ever...

Enjoying the new Monét generally, but the Kaytranada track and "On My Mama" are the clear standouts.

Travelling from 2022 to the afropop thread to the r&b thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I9ufTCxQ20
Adanna Duru - Pop!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QsceRejrzQ

wasn't expecting jordin sparks to come out w/ her own sultry "hrs & hrs"-esque song lol ("call my name")

Cool new Justine Skye track (“Whip It Up”), great beat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9_myMvYnA8

I'm a little disappointed in the new Mariah the Scientist album, but I think these two songs are standouts:

Good Times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYv3qQ60Bgo

Out of Luck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4obvQPhalCY

big disagree, the new mariah smashes. been waitin all goddamn year and it's short on run time, but not jams. i'll take quality over quantity any day.

(although yes, those are a couple of my picks as well)

Glad you like it! I feel like the songs lean into the “slow & static” aspect of her sound; making it a slog, despite its brevity. (I also don’t care for the rap features too much.)

“Out of Luck” is nice b/c it has some tempo happening…

100% agree re: "out of luck" -- that's a highlight anywhere. she really lets loose with her voice on this album, especially on that and "from a woman." the album is probably her best overall vocal performance so far.

i will voice some disappointment that "bout mine" was included. while it did grow on me, it's already a year old. c'mon man! also i need i full band version of "ride." what a tease.

Had new Mariah the Scientist on in background and it sounded good enough. But need to listen again more closely

Have Brent Faiyaz Larger than Life on now

been jammin the new mariah all weekend and it really is getting better with every listen. "out of luck" needs to be a single immediately. i'm saying a very solid 4 mics for now. almost a full two years since the intermission ep and the wait was worth it imo. i love her so much.

Grammys 2024 nominees-
19. Best R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

Summer Too Hot
Chris Brown

Back To Love
Robert Glasper Featuring SiR & Alex Isley

ICU
Coco Jones

How Does It Make You Feel
Victoria Monét

Kill Bill
SZA

Grammys in Feb 2024 nominees-

23. Best R&B Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new R&B recordings.

Girls Night Out
Babyface

What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe)
Coco Jones

Special Occasion
Emily King

JAGUAR II
Victoria Monét

CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP
Summer Walker

Grammys in Feb 2024 nominees-

21. Best R&B Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Angel
Halle Bailey, Theron Feemster & Coleridge Tillman, songwriters (Halle)

Back To Love
Darryl Andrew Farris, Robert Glasper & Alexandra Isley, songwriters (Robert Glasper Featuring SiR & Alex Isley)

ICU
Darhyl Camper Jr., Courtney Jones, Raymond Komba & Roy Keisha Rockette, songwriters (Coco Jones)

On My Mama
Dernst Emile II, Jeff Gitelman, Victoria Monét, Kyla Moscovich, Jamil Pierre & Charles Williams, songwriters (Victoria Monét)

Snooze
Kenny B. Edmonds, Blair Ferguson, Khris Riddick-Tynes, Solána Rowe & Leon Thomas, songwriters (SZA)

Would love for Summer to win the Album category (even though I imagine it must be handicapped as an EP?)

d'mile also got a producer of the year nom :)

I'm fond of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD04RSioKBA

40 Days - Tamera ft. CKay

That's nice .

Nourished by Time is a Pitchfork Best of, Chr*s R*chards in my local Wash Post likes it, and ilxors are mentioning it in that listening to in 2023 thread and the albums of the year one. It's growing on me

For better or worse, this Pitchfork review captures my take on the Mariah The Scientist album really well.

Really like the Nourished By Time even if it drives its schtick into the ground a bit - choice track IMO is “Soap Party”.

the schtick is fine with me on that album because the songs are so well-written and the vibe so inviting

Yeah I agree with that

NBT is better in small doses but keep coming back to it and discovering new things I like about it. Have changed my opinion on what’s my favorite track every time I listen.

huh, didn't expect this year's pleasant surprise to be pm dawn revival, but this is very cool stuff. the beats are stellar.

hi after listening a bit, can you guys expound on what you mean when you say there's a "schtick" at work?

(i don't disagre, just wondering)

"arthur russell does freestyle" basically

or maybe tim f meant something different!

either way, one of my favorite albums of the year!

yeah, it's really getting better the more i play it. "daddy" was the initial standout, even though i'm cooling on it a bit. the whole thing is really unique, but fully reminiscent of old stuff and it has an air of... idk, good taste? it reminds me of pm dawn, you said arthur russell, i saw a review mention soul ii soul - very solid sounds imo.

I think maybe it’s just that his voice and melodies and production are so distinct and consistent across the album - nothing bad about that but it takes some time for the songs to de-merge from each other.

I made a 2 hour playlist of some of my favourite r&b (ish) stuff of 2023 here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VeddnKVaaog9TGVO5PMTa?si=D_B0XjfdRxi2q1N8vQ9daQ&pi=a-80k5N1RYTiiy

outstanding tim. tyvm. jammin it now.

and i just have to say, i _ABSOLUTELY LOVE_ this feeling when encountering new music—

voice and melodies and production are so distinct and consistent across the album - nothing bad about that but it takes some time for the songs to de-merge from each other.

just completely immersed. sza named it last year: `feelin lost and i like it`

okay this madison mcferrin - uhm yeah... holy shit. wow, big tune.

Great looking playlist Tim! There’s at least 4 songs in there which are top 20 of the year for me (Tinashe being probably my #1 most played song this year), a lot I love and a lot I don’t think I’ve even heard.

Paste EPs of the year also has some good choices

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-eps/30-best-eps-of-2023

Goddamit wrong thread again

The Naomi Sharon album (Obsidian) is nice; apparently she's the first woman signed to OVO Sound

"Definition of Love":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqYziCG3p1A

"Push" (with Omah Lay):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1GdEwiotDU

New Summer Walker song (or part of a song?), to close out the year: Drown in My Love