I'm absolutely loving all of these new mixtape, underground breakthroughs. They are trying something new while keeping the essence of R&B. Reminds me of how Funk, Disco-R&B, New Jack Swing, Hip Hop Soul and Neo Soul flourished.
Tamar Braxton
K. Michelle
Alicia Keys
Jhene Aiko
Fantasia
Miguel
Frank Ocean
And many more..
All say hello.
From this list, I think Jhene, Miguel & maybe Frank make forward-thinking R&B music. The others are great but they do the typical stuff.
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Usher has is moments. "Climax" + "Dive" and a few other songs on his last album were good.
I'm absolutely loving all of these new mixtape, underground breakthroughs. They are trying something new while keeping the essence of R&B. Reminds me of how Funk, Disco-R&B, New Jack Swing, Hip Hop Soul and Neo Soul flourished.
R&B is in a stellar place right now. The radio isn't a place to find variety. People who don't know how progressive R&B has gotten I personally think do not listen to anything more than the radio and/or mainstream artists. Even a few mainstream artists are incorporating a slew of interesting paths in their sound.
Sure we can. My fave has recorded in R&B, R&B-Soul, Pop-R&B influenced, Funk, and Hip-Hop records in most of her albums, most heavily in "This Is Me.. Then", and some that have even reached #1.
How can your base make a comment about this genre being "trash" when your fave is first and foremost a Pop singer? I don't get it.
Hmmm I actually see where you're coming from.
There was a time when I was completely over R&B because it was so stale and repetitive
But now I feel like it's getting it's groove back.
Progressive R&B >>>
Progressive R&B/Experimental R&B/Alternative R&B is the small ray of light that can save the genre, but it needs to happen post haste. There's only so many times we can listen to Pharrell's reductive productions or Trey Songz sounding like a wounded baby calf. There needs to be a change in R&B and there aren't enough popular artists brave enough to push the genre forward. It's imperative to have an already established mainstream R&B act spark the change with progressive music to start the domino effect on a larger scale in the R&B genre within the music industry.
From this list, I think Jhene, Miguel & maybe Frank make forward-thinking R&B music. The others are great but they do the typical stuff.
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Usher has is moments. "Climax" + "Dive" and a few other songs on his last album were good.
"Typical stuff" by Tamar Braxton & Fantasia don't get nominated for Grammy Awards [3 for Tamar].
R&B's golden age was the 90s. So many classics. Such a thriving genre commercially and critically from all angles (neo-soul, adult contemporary slow jams, alternative R&B, hip hop/R&B). Top-notch production, songwriters, and vocalists. The ''hipster takeover'' of the genres have left both urban genres (hip hop, R&B/soul) in disarray imo. Everyone sounds the same now.
Sure we can. My fave has recorded in R&B, R&B-Soul, Pop-R&B influenced, Funk, and Hip-Hop records in most of her albums, most heavily in "This Is Me.. Then", and some that have even reached #1.
How can your base make a comment about this genre being "trash" when your fave is first and foremost a Pop singer? I don't get it.
She only recorded those genres cause they were on trend. And Jlo has always been pop/R&B . Lol at you acting as if she's Frank Ocean or something.
And pop music>>>>>R&B
But to answer OP it's alright at the moment.
R&B is in a stellar place right now. The radio isn't a place to find variety. People who don't know how progressive R&B has gotten I personally think do not listen to anything more than the radio and/or mainstream artists. Even a few mainstream artists are incorporating a slew of interesting paths in their sound.
