The Best R&B Albums of 2021
For the bravest, most unique voices working in R&B, it's clear that priorities have shifted. In 2021, Mereba and Cleo Sol journaled their way through first-time, mid-revolution motherhood. Mariah the Scientist and Summer Walker bluntly cut the cord on toxic exes (but we'll see). Jazmine Sullivan and Dijon leaned into the disorganized beauty of identity. Liv.e left no crumbs on the table and Shelley recalibrated everything he thought he knew about himself musically. This year's best R&B was born out of reshaped perspectives in the face of this post-pandemic facade we're now calling reality. The results remind us there's no time to waste. —Sidney Madden
Note: Albums with an asterisk have been previously covered in NPR Music's Best Music of 2021 series.
Dijon, Absolutely
There's a way to produce an album that is all over the place sonically and yet still great — ask Dijon how. Far removed from the shadows of his former duo, Abhi//Dijon, he makes it clear on his debut album why he needed to fly solo: He doesn't fly straight. We go from the beautifully frantic "Many Times" to soothing bop "The Dress" in a matter of minutes, but I get it: We've all been there. feels like a bunch of
