The 10 R&B Albums of 2017 You Must Have in Your Library

In a year where “Bodak Yellow” and “Despacito” battled at the top of the charts, EDM’s rise in popularity is at fever pitch, and “pop” is now defined by angsty hip-hop artists such as Lil Uzi Vert. It’s easy to have missed some amazing R&B albums the past year. Some say the genre died years ago with singers going to more “popular” sounds and even rapping.

R&B albums are as rare as these days. Luckily, artists young and old released some of the best cohesive albums across any genre. Khalid’s American Teen and SZA’s CTRL albums had the internet buzzing, as well as the Grammys, earning them multiple nominations this year. Veterans Mary J. Blige and 112 made triumphant comebacks with their albums Strength of a Woman and Q, Mike, Slim, Daron, respectively. Neither one of them missed a beat and gave us the music we all know and love.

There are many more R&B albums that are must listens, but they didn’t crack my personal top ten. Trust me, it was very hard to narrow it down with so much good music, let alone put them in order. Below, I have my personal top ten R&B albums you MUST have in your library. Feel free to disagree, but you'll get no argument from me, as you can't really go wrong with R&B last year. If you want to simply be in your FEELS or you’re here for The Thrill of It All, you won’t go wrong with any of what 2017's year in R&B had to offer.

10. Keyshia Cole—'11:11 Reset'

Release Date: October 20th, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Best Friend," "Vault," "Emotional"

Favorite Lyric: “I believed every word that you told me, but there’ll be no talk ‘cause you would show me.”—Best Friend

Even though it was released in October, I didn’t hear it until early December. This album really surprised me with how good it was. Keyshia Cole has been in the game for well over 15 years, with her debut album coming out in 2005. Her seventh studio album, 11:11 Reset has her sounding as confident as she's ever been. In a time where “R&B is dead,” hearing a veteran deliver as Keyshia has is extremely refreshing.

9. Snoh Aalegra—'FEELS'

Release Date: October 20th, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Time," "FEELS," Walls"

Favorite Lyric: “You gotta dig deep for this one, you cannot sink your words in my heart.”—Walls

The Swedish born songstress Snoh Aalegra's debut album is properly titled as she dives deep into her feels. Her deep and reflective lyrics on life and love based off her personal experiences grabbed me immediately. Her voice floats effortlessly on the No I.D. produced album that also had her sound featured on Drake’s More Life album with her song “Time." Features from Vic Mensa, Vince Staples, and fellow Swedish reggae/rapper Timbuktu offer a certain grit to match Snoh’s sultry sound. She was previously touring with another artist that made my personal top ten that you’ll meet soon.

8. Syd—'Fin'

Release Date: February 3rd, 2017

Favorite Songs: "All About Me," "Smile More," "Nothing To Something," "Body"

Favorite Lyric: “Get those cameras rollin’ right now, I’m directing and I really wanna see you act out.”—Body

Syd is no stranger to the spotlight and is the lead singer of 2015 Grammy nominated soul/R&B band The Internet. She decided to branch out on her own for a bit to curate her personal sound on a solo project and that’s how we were blessed with Fin. Fin sets itself apart from The Internet and is backed by a more “pop” and “trap” feel to mix in with the soulful sounds she’s originally known for. If you’re here for a good and sexy time, Fin is the best place to be.

7. Daniel Caesar—'Freudian'

Release Date: August 25th, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Get You (feat Kali Uchis)," "We Find Love," "Blessed"

Favorite Lyric: "Ever since the day I met you, I knew you were the girl of my dreams. But we could never be."—We Find Love

The Canadian-born crooner has been sharing the stage on tour with Snoh Aalegra the past couple months. Daniel released two EPs in 2014 and 2015 that gained him the popularity he has now. Freudian is his debut album, which has gained him two Grammy nominations. The ten-track album flows like a river with soulful sounds and the ups and downs of young love.

6. Sam Smith—'The Thrill Of It All'

Release Date: November 3rd, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Say It First," "Pray," "Burning," "One Day At A Time"

Favorite Lyric: “You won’t find me in church reading The Bible. I am still here, I’m still your disciple.”—Pray

Sam Smith took the world by storm with his powerful voice on his debut album In The Lonely Hour that earned him six Grammy nominations and winning four. The pressure was on for him to follow up with The Thrill Of It All. Smith opted for a more personal and grown up approach to his sophomore album and did not disappoint, defeating the “sophomore slump” curse with ease. This is a timeless album that can inspire you to love with all your being and also have you face your inner demons and come out stronger than before.

5. Sabrina Claudio—'About Time'

Release Date: October 5th, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Natural," "Everlasting Love," "Belong To You," "Wanna Know," "Frozen"

Favorite Lyric: "Nobody really knows my name because all you call me is beautiful."—Natural

Sabrina Claudio is a breath of fresh air on her debut project, About Time. Her Miami roots show through and through with an electric and sultry vibe that blends well with the jazzy tunes. Her love-filled lyrics are simplistic, but that’s what makes the songs so perfect and easy to relate to. Even though About Time is classified as a mixtape and not an album, it still stands tall as one of 2017's best R&B works.

4. Majid Jordan—'The Space Between'

Release Date: October 27th, 2007

Favorite Songs: "Gave Your Love Away," "OG Heartbreak," "Body Talk," "What You Do To Me," "Phases"

Favorite Lyric: “I wanna love you sideways. Back of the car doing 100 miles on the highway; that’s only if we make it out of the driveway.”—What You Do To Me

If you’re an R&B purist and miss the sound of the 90s, look no further than the Canadian-based duo, Majid Jordan, and their latest, The Space Between. Even though it falls at number seven, this was one of the hardest albums to come up with my stand-out favorite songs. Majid Al Maskati provides the vocals over the mellow futuristic sounds that Jordan Ullman produces and they will take you on a magic ride that you don’t want to end.

3. dvsn—'Morning After'

Release Date: October 13th, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Keep Calm," "Morning After," "Body Smile," "Conversations in a Diner"

Favorite Lyric: "Tonight I'm making up for it all. For every time I made you cry, I will make your whole body smile."—Body Smile

The OVO artist duo, Daniel Daley and Nineteen85, similar to how Majid Jordan are formed, with Daley doing the vocals and Nineteen85 producing the beats. But they couldn’t be any different from each other. The Morning After is their seconnd album and it’s beautifully constructed. Being a sucker for storytelling through music, Daley seems to sing a tale about breakup to make-up only to breakup again. The kind of love that you know you should leave alone but you continue getting wrapped up in it. Something most of us, if not all, can relate to.

2. Daley—'The Spectrum'

Release Date: July 14th, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Slow Burn," "True," "Distance," "The Only One," "Second To None"

Favorite Lyric: "We're only here for one minute, just a drop in ocean's blue. So in my time while I'm here, I want to spend it being true."—True

A friend of mine told me about Daley (not to be confused with the aforementioned Daniel Daley) a few years ago, but I never got around to listening. His album, The Spectrum, was my first foray into the world of Daley and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long. This album is as perfect as it can get as Daley taps into parts of your soul that you never knew existed. The album has my favorite song of the year in “True,” which, in my opinion, is one of the purest songs about love I’ve ever heard.

1. Jhene Aiko—'Trip'

Release Date: September 22nd, 2017

Favorite Songs: "Memories," "OLLA (Only Lovers Left Alive)," "When We Love," "New Balance," "Sing To Me"

Favorite Lyric: "Then there's you, you bring silence to my violent truth. Yes you do. You're my salvage, you're my balance, ohhh. You're so new."—New Balance

This is my favorite R&B album of the year, and arguably my favorite album of 2017. As I mentioned before, I’m a sucker for storytelling and Jhene literally takes us on a trip of loss, love, and longing for more than life presents us. What I find most impressive is that, despite it being a concept album, the songs can stand on their own, which isn’t an easy thing to do. Jhene’s light and sultry voice floats effortlessly as she takes listeners on a high that reaches the stars. Even though the album was released in the fall, my favorite song, "OLLA (Only Lovers Left Alive)," is the summer anthem we all deserved. I’m honestly surprised that Trip wasn’t nominated for any Grammys at all and quite frankly, deserves an Album of the Year nom. Some say that this was the same ol’ Jhene, and I say, while that may be true, you shouldn’t fix what ain’t broke. I’ll sing the praises of this album until 2088.