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Lists

The Happiest Couple in Music Just Made a Breakup Song
Plus: Erykah Badu’s first new album in 11 years is finally happening, a Brooklyn producer taking the board for somebody else, a guest verse that…
 • Soulpolitan
Philly Soul Never Actually Left, It Just Moved
Joy Denalane cut the year’s most beautiful record in Berlin, in German. Plus: Jagged Edge without JD, Ledisi’s mainstream turn, the entire Norwood…
 • Soulpolitan
Dawn Richard Is Clocking In for Love
The legacy of Static Major turns up in the credits of a new Brent Faiyaz single, while Lalah Hathaway gives her first verse of the week to the…
 • Soulpolitan
The True R&B Songs of the Summer in 2026
Thirty R&B songs got played to death around here between May and July. As a sequel to last year’s column, do not let anybody tell you that there are no…
 • Shatter the Standards, Brandon O'Sullivan, and Phil
Everybody’s Sweet Tooth Is Acting Up
Rapsody sings over a D’Angelo sample, Ari Lennox lies about leaving the party in five minutes, and Wale counts what it costs to put a woman in your…
 • Soulpolitan
July 2026 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month
With eighty albums cleared the bar in July, from Madonna’s dance floor to Fox BD’s living room, and the underground outwrote the majors at every weight…
 • Shatter the Standards
The Handguide to R&B Concept Albums (‘80s Edition)
This guide counts “concept album” in two ways. Some of these records tell a story or use a formal device from front to back; others hold one…
 • Shatter the Standards, Brandon O'Sullivan, and Phil
The Many Facets of Roberta Flack
While most of Roberta Flack’s albums have just been reissued, the time has come to reconsider her work, which brought out the best in every form of…
 • Blackpolitan and Seraphina Joy Clarke
The Laziest Apology in R&B Is a Haiku
Summer situationship ultimatums, 1 a.m. rescue missions, and a courtship strategy with a syllable count.
 • Soulpolitan
Five R&B Songs Warming Us Up This Week
A wildfire survivor turns grief into a gospel come-on, two 2000s hitmakers age their seduction into something warmer, and a Raphael Saadiq production…
 • Soulpolitan
The Handguide to Clavinet Funk
After “Superstition” went big, every keyboardist in Black music wanted that bite, and sixty songs follow the D6 from gospel quartets to Graterford…
 • Shatter the Standards and Brandon O'Sullivan
The Loverman Asks Permission Now
Tank flips a Floetry classic into a question only you can answer. Plus: Coco Jones’s two-minute glow-up, Masego’s basement-party invitation, and a…
 • Soulpolitan
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