2019

The year of letting go

A natural extension of last year's return to comfort, this year sought to replace anger with acceptance. With a special emphasis on moving on, R&B (most specifically female R&B) dominated 2019's landscape.

10

Immunity

Clairo

Clairo is a 21-year-old American girl with a voice that seems to straddle about 4 decades. While her sound is definitely reminiscent of the alt rock 90s, her drum and bass choices often give it a modern accent. Somewhere between Girlpool and The Strokes (almost female Mac Demarco at times), she makes for easy listening. Intimate but not too innocent.

9

Lessons in Love

Sinéad Harnett

By Billboard standards, Sinéad is a new artist. Lessons in Love is technically her debut album, but features a mix of new songs and remastered versions from previous EPs. Regardless, tha gurl can sang. Her English accent gives her American production just a tinge of something extra. If you're a fan of JoJo or Janine, she's for you.

8

I Used to Know Her

H.E.R.

Every album H.E.R. has put out has been eponymous in some part. Though only 21, she prefers mystique to promotion. Her soulful voice and melodious guitar strums complement each other well enough to make a great album on their own, but the occasional electronic flourishes take her music to the next level.

7

Scenery

Emily King

Though this is only her 3rd proper album, Emily King is a lifelong musician. She has the control of a classically trained jazz vocalist, but employs her feathery voice mostly in the R&B sphere. Due to the strength of her voice and its acoustic accompaniments, it's one of those albums where you can press play and just let it run. Plus, aside from a few very subtle innuendos, this album is family friendly. It'll stand the test of time.

6

Over It

Summer Walker

Man have we had some good R&B this year. Summer Walker's put out a few songs you might have heard but she's a new artist by any standard. Though seemingly very confident on wax, she is particularly introspective and anxious in person. Further, she's telling the story of a girl tired of apologizing for her femininity. This odd mix, coupled with her chocolatey voice laid perfectly into some very good production choices, gives the album an enticement beyond the sum of its parts. FYI, bearing in mind her recent past, grant the promiscuity some grace.

5

thank u, next

Ariana Grande

It's hard for me to put a pop album this high on the list - although to be fair, it's as much R&B as it is pop this year - but dude this album is so well made. Each track feels meticulously crafted around her voice. If last year's LP wasn't a clear indication, she's fully traded her Disney appeal for something more honest, albeit misguided at times. As before though, I'll grant her some empathy; she's been through a lot lately. This one's better than Sweetener, yall - it's the real thing.

4

- Ugh, those feels again

Snoh Aalegra

Snoh's untouchable voice is finally ascending to its potential. You can consult the full review for an extended explanation, but being in between relationships has yielded an album that feels so relatably nostalgic that it almost hurts to turn it off. Enjoy the sound of her healing.

3

JESUS IS KING

Kanye West

Very plainly, it is a gospel album from Kanye West. There's far too much to unpack to do it any justice in a paragraph, but I'll just leave it at this for now: not every song is fantastic, some songs are fantastic, and if you like music, it's definitely not something you want to miss. It's a family friendly Kanye West album. Full review here.

2

Shea Butter Baby

Ari Lennox

Not quite out of nowhere, but out of nowhere big came Ari Lennox, with the voice of every black woman you've ever loved, to create a debut album with so much soul and heart that you might be racist for not loving it. This album might get you pregnant.

1

Assume Form

James Blake

I am biased. This is my favorite artist's best album and it is pure James Blake. You'll either disregard this body of work or love it; there's not much room for opinions in between.

Full review here.

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