A Revisit Of 2022’s Album Releases: R&B/Soul, Pop, House + Jazz

Loading the player…

The year 2022 was a colorful time for R&B music and all of it’s hybrid forms. From the small stage to the stadium arena, artists at all career levels helped to tackle the popularized question: Is R&B Dead? This year’s music releases took vibrant, genre bendy arrangements: house-inspired, jazz-infused, hip-hop flavored, and psychedelic euphoria.

Robert Glasper returned with the third installment of his Black Radio series delivering jazz and hip hop melodies. Beyoncé fans found refuge with her disco/house themed Renaissance album. Already long celebrated for his work as a musician and producer, Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” catapulted him to higher levels, earning him multiple Grammy nominations. Drake took a stylistic departure for Honestly, Nevermind, offering a house/Baltimore club sound that had listeners initially confused. Staying on brand, Lizzo‘s Special was a playful, braggadocious pop/disco album that promoted positivity and women’s empowerment. Maverick City Music teamed up with Kirk Franklin for Kingdom One Book to shed light on injustices in the community. Moonchild’s Starfruit album was entirely dedicated to Black women. Babyface collaborated with the new generation of women artists on Girls Night Out.

Some albums were devoted to keeping R&B’s rich history alive while others pushed the genre into uncharted territories. Take a look below at some of the album releases you may have missed!

New Sounds of R&B

Amber Mark
Three Dimensions Deep

Ravyn Lenae
Hypnos

Emotional Oranges
The Juice, Vol. III

Dixson
004Daisy

Alex Isley
Marigold

Phony Ppl
Euphonyus

Veteran Players

Morris Day
Last Call

John Legend
Legend

The Isley Brothers
Make Me Say It Again, Girl

Eric Roberson
Lessons

Babyface
Girls Night Out

House/Dance

Beyoncé
Renaissance

Drake
Honestly, Nevermind

Honey Dijon
Black Girl Magic

Soulful Affirmations

Mary J. Blige
Good Morning Gorgeous

Lizzo
Special

Kehlani
Blue Water Road

Durand Bernarr
Wanderlust

Romance and Love

Tank
R&B Money

Ella Mai
Heart On My Sleeve

Ari Lennox
Age/Sex/Location

Lucky Daye
Candydrip

Syd
Broken Hearts Club

Wizkid
More Love, Less Ego

Sabrina Claudio
Based On A Feeling

Alternative R&B

The Weeknd
Dawn FM

SZA
SOS

Steve Lacy
Gemini Rights

Smino
Luv 4 Rent

Kyle
It’s Not So Bad

Jazzy & Dreamy

Moonchild
Starfruit

Robert Glasper
Black Radio III

Devin Morrison
Dream Lobby Vol. IV

Hip Hop Adjacent

Buddy
Superghetto

Jacquees
Sincerely For You

Chris Brown
Breezy

Tink
Pillow Talk

Kid Cudi
Entergalatic

Brent Faiyaz
Wasteland

Contemporary R&B

Ne-Yo
Self Explanatory

Alicia Keys
Keys II

Dram
What Had Happened Was

Arin Ray
Hello Poision

Giveon
Give or Take

PJ Morton
Watch The Sun

India Shawn
Before We Go Deeper

Uplifting the Community

Maverick City Music
Breathe

Maverick City Music
Kingdom One Book

Tank and the Bangas
Red Balloon