Much in the same way undisputed classics such as Funky Divas,?II, and The?Miseducation of Lauryn Hill helped redefine R&B in the 90s,?the first decade of the 2000s had a slew of R&B albums change the game in a variety of ways. ?It might be debatable how many of these albums are true classics but there?s no denying that R&B would not be the genre it is today without them all having been contributed to the musical canon. Of the 25 Greatest R&B Albums of the 2000s, our first five choices are?
When you have a famous older sibling in the music industry, any move made into the same arena will inevitably draw nonstop comparisons, Solange Knowles being no exception to the rule. However, while her debut album, Solo Star, was full of standard R&B beats provided by many of the same collaborators shared by her big sister, the lyrics hinted at a depth and untapped potential, which was fulfilled with the release of SoL-AngeL and the Hadley Street Dreams?- a wide-eyed look into the world of a girl evolved into a single mother, ex-wife, and grown woman unafraid to bare her soul and speak her mind. Lyrically, the album cleverly rehashed tried and true tales of love lost and lessons learned; sonically, it proved that R&B could be simultaneously be filtered through pop, rock, alternative, hip-hop, and electronica and still be full of soul; ultimately, it proved that Solange Knowles (last name be damned) was truly an individual and an original.
Ageism definitely exists in the music industry so once an artist has reached a certain age and their popularity has supposedly ?peaked?, they are usually relegated to being a niche artist still employed only to serve their diehard fan base. Just two years shy of her 40th birthday, however, Toni Braxton bucked that trend. With just a mere 10 tracks, Libra?effortlessly ran the gamut of love, sex (infidelity included), and pain, never sounding too desperate or uncomfortable, and blended with some of the freshest R&B production at the time to prove that Toni was still every bit as talented and relevant as many of her much younger competition coming down the same trail she helped to blaze.
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With each successive generation of R&B singers comes a search for the ?second coming? and by 2009, Trey Songz? third album, Ready, primed him to be this generation?s R. Kelly; no trick was left unused in trying to proverbially drop her panties, win her love, lose her love, and/or mend her heart. The lyrics were always apropos to the task at hand, the production perfectly accentuated the current mood, and the vocals, while not always perfect, were smoothly charismatic. While he may not be the creative genius that Kelly is, the album confirmed that of his peers, Songz is the best at playing the multifaceted R&B lover.
Just like any other genre, R&B goes through phases so it was inevitable that the crunk movement which infiltrated hip-hop at the top of the decade would find a way in. What may not have been expected is its ambassador being a not-even-20 something from ATL whose soft and sweet voice was a stark contrast to the roughneck sounds supporting it; that said, it didn?t take long for Ciara to assume her throne and dominate as The First Lady of Crunk&B. Her debut album,?Goodies,?brought an unmatched high level of energy to R&B tempered with Pop flourishes, Dance sensibilities, and a Hip-Hop swagger. And what Ciara lacked in the vocal department, she made up for in her choreography and showmanship, quickly distancing herself from the new school pack as one becoming well versed in the art of entertainment. Regardless of where she and career have gone since then, it?s safe to say that for a moment in time, Ciara ruled the R&B world.
When any artist has a career that spans decades, they will inevitably have to find a way of making their signature style and sound new again just for the sake of relevancy. And for someone as prolific as R. Kelly, who spent pretty much all of the 90s perfecting his role as the R&B everyman, this would seem like a difficult challenge. Fortunately, he hit an artistic stride with his second post-millennium release, Chocolate Factory. Chockful of the R&B love, R&B thug, and R&B club songs he helped to patent, Kelly managed to find new and creative metaphors to play with, more ways to embellish and elaborate his storytelling, and literally gave R&B a brand new dance ? a decade or more?s worth of work all condensed into one album; reinvention never sounded so smooth.
?and there?s our first five choices. Feel free to comment and voice your opinion and check back tomorrow to find out what the next five albums are!
Source: http://www.middlechildpromotions.com/wp/2012/07/25-greatest-rb-albums-of-the-2000s-25-21/
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