#mcp2016

For all of the womanizing and thug posturing that went on in male R&B for 2016, Jacob Latimore snuck in at the tail end of the year to remind us that the R&B loverman still lives on. A little love in the trap goes a long way and putting some genuine emotion into the mix of things gives us hope that the new school of R&B in 2017 may be a little more willing to wear their hearts on their sleeves and have a little more soul back up their rhythm and blues the way Jacob does.

John Legends opens up Darkness and Light by proclaiming that he's "sang what they want" and proceeds to use the rest of his album to sing about the effects of the current political climate, his marriage, his daughter and his fame on his life instead. And having such complimentary yet contrasting themes reflected in both the production (which ebbs and flows accordingly) and in his choice of collaborators (Chance the Rapper; Brittany Howard; Miguel) results in an album that comes closer to the gritty soul of his classic debut than he's been in quite some time. Fine by us.

Even with the smash success of "Uptown Funk", Bruno Mars' career trajectory certainly wasn't indicating he was going to make one of the best R&B albums of the early 90s in 2016! An homage, tribute and revival of everything great about the late 80s and early 90s R&B, with appropriate New Jack Swing touchstones thrown in for good measure, 24K Magic reminds you of just how great R&B used to be and how much of a musical genius Bruno really is.

It's always energizing to hear music from an artist that you can feel is 100% authentically them in that moment, in that space, at that time. That's what makes Here one of Alicia Keys' most enjoyable albums in years. It isn't an album overly concerned with rehashing past glories, chasing radio play or shape-shifting to find a mainstream spot to fit into. Instead, she just taps into a raw New York state of mind and fuses her R&B, hip-hop and gospel inclinations into a plain, simple and pure package.

This definitely a year where self-care was essential and we didn't realize how badly we needed a soundtrack for it until we had A Seat at the Table with Solange. Such a blatant stylistic diversion from all of her past music, she spent four years creating and curating an emotionally pitch perfect set of records that dissected, examined and uplifted the black experience in America in 2016. Culturally relevant without ever pandering, becoming overtly political or predictably preachy, it was heartwarming to hear some shit that was unapologetically for us.

Rare was the perfect title for singer/songwriter PJ's debut album because she was definitely a rare diamond to be found in the rough landscape of 2016 R&B. Not settling for gimmicks and trendy pastiches, PJ infused her brand of R&B with stylistic tropes and elements as vivid as her album cover, running the gamut from trap to funk to alternative to pop to acoustic soul and back with impressive precision for an early twentysomething artist willingly swimming against the modern music currents. If you were searching for a musical breath of fresh air, she said it best herself: "this is what it looks like."

Chapters proved that Yuna was one of R&B's best kept secrets in 2016 and should be as big of a star in America as she is in her home country of Malaysia. With each album, she's progressed further down an R&B-centered path leading up to this album, which may not have any trap bangers or powerhouse anthems but serves up a simple and direct serving of smooth grooves with just enough rhythm to help console the blues.

What can we say that hasn't been said about Lemonade already? Nothing. So we'll just co-sign the praise and critical acclaim given to Beyonce's magnum opus and say that regardless of how overhyped or overrated anyone might think she and her work to be, the genius of such raw, bold, painful, honest and blunt self-expression coming from an artist of her stature at this point in her career is undeniable.