Category: R&B

Daniel Caesar recently returned to the NPR Tiny Desk to perform a set of five songs from his 2025 album, Son of Spergy. Caesar’s last appearance at the Tiny Desk was in 2018, following the release of his debut album, Freudian. That first performance remains in the top 15 most-viewed Tiny Desk concerts on YouTube, and his latest has already passed the one million view mark.

This time around, Caesar was accompanied by an upright piano, a guitar, and a 12-piece choir. While that may sound like a lot of people behind a famously small desk, the performance feels surprisingly intimate. In the words of NPR’s Bobby Carter: “From note number one, I, along with the audience of NPR staffers, was instantly stunned by the power of the choir and how Caesar effortlessly led them… There may have been others in the crowd who felt what I felt: This is one of the most transcendent moments at the Tiny Desk.”

Caesar opened the set with Son of Spergy’s opening track, “Rain Down.” He picked up his guitar to continue with “Emily’s Song,” “Moon,” and “Who Knows,” before taking to the piano himself for album closer “Sins of the Father.” Son of Spergy, released last October, is Caesar’s fourth album, following 2017’s Freudian, 2019’s Case Study 01, and 2023’s Never Enough. Spergy dives deep into Caesar’s relationships with his father and his faith. “It’s about religion,” he told Billboard, “but more importantly, it’s about my father. In your childhood, your father is a lot like God. He’s the person you fear the most on earth and also the person whose love and respect you desire more than anyone else on earth.”

The record features collaborations with Sampha, Bon Iver, and Blood Orange among others. Caesar’s father, nicknamed Spergy, also features on the album, adding vocals to the track “Baby Blue.”

Browse Daniel Caesar’s music on vinyl and CD here.

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The late D’Angelo released his celebrated neo-soul epic Voodoo album in January of 2000. An anniversary celebration will feature a new release of the 2LP, highlighted by a zoetrope design.

Each side of the double-vinyl set has a different design, incorporating elements from D’Angelo’s brilliant career like music videos, album design, and lyrical content.

Voodoo is widely hailed as one of the most important albums of the 21st century. After its release, Voodoo topped the Billboard albums chart just two weeks later, won two Grammys, achieved platinum status, and produced one of the sultriest hit singles of all time with “Untitled (How Does it Feel),” thanks in large part to its iconic video.

Last year, Rolling Stone unearthed audio from a D’Angelo conversation that took place in 2015. In the chat, the singer born Michael Eugene Archer discussed how Voodoo was inspired by the disappointment he felt after releasing his debut, Brown Sugar.

He explained, “Brown Sugar, in retrospect, it’s a great album, but I wasn’t that happy with it. I thought that a lot of the demos felt and sounded better to me that I had done in the crib on a four-track. We had to reproduce that in the studio. I felt like it was overproduced. So my main motivation with Voodoo was for it not to feel like that, for it to feel more like my demos had felt.” The raw immediacy of Voodoo is one of its most celebrated qualities.

He also spoke about expectations going into his third LP, the long-anticipated Black Messiah from 2014. He said, “Voodoo was and is what it was. It’s dishonest for me and unfair to me to think I’m gonna outdo that, so I won’t even attempt. I just wanted to make sure it was the next step in my progression. To break something down to its more essential core — that too can be evolution.”

Buy D’Angelo’s Voodoo on limited edition zoetrope vinyl.

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Teyana Taylor has shared a number of live video versions of tracks from her Grammy nominated 2025 album Escape Room via her media brand @Cartunezzzz. Taylor has shared live renditions of “Bed of Roses,” “Final Destination,” “Pum Pum Jump,” and “All Your Heart.”

The @Cartunezzzz app from Taylor is inspired by childhood weekend mornings spent watching cartoons and eating cereal. The nostalgic-leaning series allows musicians to embrace some of the more surreal elements of their artistry.

The nearly 20-minute video features Taylor and a live band moving through her Escape Room hits while she croons from a red couch. The cartoon themes are accented by the illustrated backdrop that frames the entire set.

Back in August, Taylor released the first visual component of her Escape Room project. The short film visual album premiered alongside the LP, peaked at No.1 on iTunes R&B, No.2 on Apple Music R&B, and entered the Top 10 on Apple Music Top Albums chart.

About Escape Room, Teyana shared, “Escape Room isn’t just a film or an album, it’s a world I built to live in, bleed in, and heal in. I poured my heart into every layer, from the story to the sound, to capture that journey we all take through the shadows of heartbreak, whether that’s love lost, friendships broken, dreams deferred and guide you toward the lightness of healing. It’s the visual representation of my scars, the picture of my healing, and a mirror for anyone ready to face their own truth. This is more than a story… it’s a place to break free.”

Taylor wrote, directed, and produced the Escape Room film alongside her all-female production company The Aunties, the same team that helmed the new live videos released via @Cartunezzzz.

Buy Teyana Taylor’s Escape Room on vinyl here.

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Do You Still Love Me? Ella Mai poses that loaded question with the title of her forthcoming album. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has announced a Feb. 6 release date for her third LP, which is executive produced by her longtime collaborator Mustard.

Though listeners didn’t know it at the time, Mai offered the first preview of Do You Still Love Me? in December 2024, when “Little Things” was released as part of her 3 EP. The album campaign properly kicked into gear last summer with the release of “Tell Her.” Director Cole Santiago’s music video for the track followed in September; the clip visually referenced Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” as a way to communicate a key influence on Mai’s new material. More details on the 14-track Do You Still Love Me? will be released soon.

Mai’s new chapter arrives following a brief stretch spent looking back. In December, the British R&B singer marked the 10th anniversary of her debut EP Troubled with her Did You Miss Me? tour, a series of concerts revisiting intimate venues where she took the stage early in her career. The six-night outing took her to London, Amsterdam, Paris, Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to Christmas. She also celebrated the legacy of her early EPs TIME, CHANGE, and READY with a vinyl reissue under the title TIME. CHANGE. READY., bringing the projects back to physical media for the first time in years.

Mai is one of the most successful R&B singers of her generation. The London native has been a consistent hit-maker, landing nine Top 10 singles on the U.S. R&B chart, including the No. 1 hits “Boo’d Up” and “Trip.” With “Boo’d Up,” she won Best R&B Song and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2019 Grammy Awards. She’s also been honored with Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards, iHeartRadio Music Awards, NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and more.

Shop Ella Mai’s music on vinyl and CD here.

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Carl Carlton, the singer behind beloved R&B hits like “She’s A Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)” and “Everlasting Love,” has passed away. His son Carlton Hudgens II announced the passing in a message on Facebook, accompanied by a photo of his father with a microphone. “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton singer of She’s a Bad Mama Jama,” he wrote. “Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.” Carlton suffered a stroke in 2019, but no cause of death has been announced.

Throughout his multi-decade career, Carlton established himself as a consistent hit-maker at the intersection of soul, funk, and disco, hailed by the Detroit Free Press as “one of the most significant R&B figures in Detroit’s post-Motown era.” He notched his biggest pop-chart success with 1974’s ebullient “Everlasting Love,” which he took to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Originally issued as a B-side in 1973, the track got a disco remix in 1974 and became a staple of the genre. It was one of the first disco tracks to cross over from dance club spins to radio airplay on its way to ubiquity, and it remains in heavy rotation on retro stations today.

But 1981’s “She’s A Bad Mama Jama” may loom even larger. A No. 22 pop hit and a No. 2 smash on the R&B chart, the funky post-disco jam has lingered in the public consciousness, appearing in numerous films and TV shows and becoming a foundational sample for hip-hop producers. Carlton’s smooth vocal, an agile complement to producer Leon Haywood’s synth-powered groove, was key to the song’s appeal.

Carlton’s run as a hit-maker predated those triumphs. Born Carlton Hudgens in Detroit in 1952, he got his start in the music business as a child. Discovered when a neighbor heard him singing during a pickup baseball game and mistook him for the radio, he began recording and performing under the name Little Carl Carlton. His 1968 single “Competition Ain’t Nothing” landed him a record deal with Houston’s Back Beat Records, precipitating a move to Texas. There, he began launching songs to the R&B charts, such as “I Can Feel It” and “Drop By My Place.”

Carlton logged more hits after “Bad Mama Jama,” including his reggae-tinged cover of the Four Tops’ “Baby I Need Your Loving.” By the 1990s, his recording career was slowing down, but he continued to perform live for many years — both in Detroit, where he was revered as a local legend, and across the United States. In 2010, he released one final album, God Is Good, which applied his formidable vocal talents to a gospel sound.

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Phil Upchurch, a legendary guitarist and composer who played for Quincy Jones, Donny Hathaway and Michael Jackson, passed away on November 23 in Los Angeles at age 84. No cause of death has been announced as of press time.

Upchurch had a lengthy career, recording nearly 30 albums and appearing on more than 1,000 recordings with high-profile music artists. Some of his most recognized work includes Chaka Khan’s 1978 “I’m Every Woman” anthem, which charted Billboard’s R&B charts for three weeks. He also helped to craft Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night,” from his 1979 solo album Off the Wall.

The guitarist frequently worked with Donny Hathaway, featuring on all of his solo studio and live albums. He composed jazz guitarist George Benson’s “Six to Four” 1976 single, as well as appearing on Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly, Claudine, Let’s Do It Again, and Sparkle albums. Other notable artists Upchurch performed or recorded with were the Staple Singers, Natalie Cole, Minnie Riperton, Bob Dylan, and Anita Baker.

“We lost a dear Broadway Tours family member. The great Phil Upchurch,” Benson shared in his tribute on Instagram. “Phil was an integral part of the Breezin‘ record having wrote the great song ‘Six to Four’ as well as a key musician on the record Weekend In LA.”

Born in Chicago in 1941, Upchurch grew up with his father, who was a jazz pianist. His passion for music sparked at age 13, when his father gave him a ukulele. Inspired by jazz musicians Oscar Peterson and Jimmy Smith, Upchurch shaped his soul music legacy early on, working with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, and Jimmy Reed. In the mid-1960s, he was house guitarist of Chess Records, playing with The Dells, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Etta James and Gene Chandler. In 1961, he released his first single, “You Can’t Sit Down (Parts 1 & 2)” that peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard pop chart.

Along with his work as a musician, Upchurch published two books and was writing an autobiography at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife, Sonya.

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Super Bowl LX is set to take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday, February 8, 2026. As previously announced, Bad Bunny will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers. Now, the NFL has announced the pregame entertainment. Super Bowl LX will air live on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock.

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer Charlie Puth will perform the National Anthem. Puth, who is known for singles like “Attention,” “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” and “See You Again,” is releasing his fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever!, on March 6, 2026.

Brandi Carlile will perform “America the Beautiful.” In October, Carlile released a new solo album, Returning To Myself. It follows Who Believes in Angels?, a collaboration with Elton John, which recently earned a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

The R&B breakout star Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is considered the Black national anthem. Jones was recently nominated for Best R&B Album Grammy for her debut project Why Not More?. The singer, who also stars in Peacock’s Bel-Air, previously won a Grammy award in 2024 for Best R&B Performance for her platinum-certified hit “ICU.”

“Charlie, Brandi, and Coco are generational talents, and we are honored to have them – alongside our extraordinary deaf performers – on Super Bowl LX’s world stage,” stated Desiree Perez, CEO, Roc Nation. “This moment embodies the very best of culture, live performance, and our country, perfectly kicking off game day.”

The Super Bowl LX pregame entertainment will spotlight powerful American Sign Language (ASL) performances. Renowned Deaf music artist Fred Beam will perform the National Anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Deaf music performer Julian Ortiz will deliver “America the Beautiful.”

In a historic first, the signed rendition of the Apple Music Halftime Show will feature a multilingual signing program incorporating Puerto Rican Sign Language, led by Deaf Puerto Rican performer Celimar Rivera Cosme. All signed performances for the Super Bowl pregame and the Apple Music Halftime Show are collaborations with Alexis Kashar of LOVE SIGN and Howard Rosenblum of Deaf Equality.

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Shopping for the Rihanna fan in your life this season just got a lot easier. The global icon has announced a new career-spanning vinyl box set, and all orders processed before the end of the year come with a fun holiday bonus.

The R20 box set brings together all eight of Rihanna’s studio albums in one package: 2005’s Music of the Sun, 2006’s A Girl Like Me, 2007’s Good Girl Gone Bad, 2009’s Rated R, 2010’s Loud, 2011’s Talk That Talk, 2012’s Unapologetic, and 2016’s Anti. The LPs are pressed on black vinyl and housed together in a deluxe collector’s box, individually numbered in a limited edition of 1,000. It’s set to ship on Dec. 19 (but not guaranteed for holiday delivery).

All orders processed before Dec. 31 will include a free “Rhenna Holiday” T-shirt. It features an update on the “Rhenna” doodle that served as Rihanna’s longtime social media avatar (and doubles as the cover art for R20). On the tee, Rhenna gets festive with the addition of antlers and a red nose.

In addition to the vinyl box set and T-shirt, the Rihanna shop is selling an R20 hoodie with Rhenna on the front, an R20 layered T-shirt featuring a photo of Rihanna, and a Rhenna doll featuring the full-bodied version of the doodle.

The R20 product line arrives in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Music of the Sun, Rihanna’s 2005 debut album, which included the smash hit “Pon de Replay” and kicked off a prolific career. In the intervening decades, Rihanna has become not only one of the most successful musical artists of all time — with 250 million in global album sales and 14 U.S. No. 1 hits, third most all time — but also a mogul, fashion icon, and Hollywood star.

Buy the Rihanna R20 vinyl box set now.

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Mama’s Gun, the iconic sophomore album from neo-soul queen Erykah Badu, is getting two special vinyl reissues in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The first of the vinyl editions is a 2LP set, pressed on Gold Black Ice vinyl. It features alternative artwork, a redesigned gatefold, and a special exclusive lithograph. The second pressing is the newest entry into UMe’s Vinylphyle series. This edition features the album’s first ever hi-res remaster since its original CD release, sourced from the original production tapes. The 2LP, which features new liner notes put together by Badu herself, was cut by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound Nashville and pressed at RTI on 180g Black Vinyl.

As part of the anniversary celebration, Badu also recorded a Mama’s Gun Spotify Session, which is now live. The 50 minute set brings the visionary artist back into the studio to reimagine tracks from the album like “Didn’t Cha Know” and “…& On.” The set also boasts a special appearance from Thundercat on the bass, and sees Badu in conversation with DJ Quik. The session also includes members of Badu’s original Mama’s Gun band.

Originally released in 2000, Mama’s Gun was acclaimed upon its release and continues to be a favorite among neo-soul fans and artists that have begun creating in the years since. Single “Bag Lady” became Badu’s first top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, and was also nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 2001 ceremony. In 2002, “Didn’t Cha Know” also received a nomination for “Best R&B Song.”

Reflecting on the album years later in a conversation with Mark Ronson for The Fader, Badu revealed that she really didn’t know that the album would go on to become such a huge deal. “I was real green,” she recalled of recording the sophomore album. “I mean, I just knew what I liked, and I wanted to be around people who supported my will and my ideas and understood them and could complete my musical sentences and tell the same jokes and just relate to [the] same shit.” Clearly, a lot of people related to where Badu was in her life at the time, and a quarter-century later, they still do.

Grab the 2LP color vinyl reissue of Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun here. Order the Vinylpyhle pressing here.

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In hindsight, Rihanna’s release of four diverse albums in the span of as many years was taken for granted. After her seventh studio album, Unapologetic, pop’s resident bad girl took a hiatus between releases – which is another chapter of its own. Released on November 19, 2012, Unapologetic would mark a thrilling conclusion to a stunning creative run.

Buy Rihanna’s Unapologetic on vinyl now.

One of the most impressive publicity stunts in music

While promoting Loud in 2010, Rihanna made an appearance on BET’s music video countdown show, 106 & Park. There she described her fanbase (Rihanna Navy) as “unapologetic”, prophesying the name of her next album.

Two years later, Rihanna would stage one of the most impressive publicity stunts in music history, the 777 Tour. A seven-day trek, with seven shows in as many days and countries, and 150 journalists in tow, the whirlwind press junket was an endurance test for those who couldn’t keep up with Rihanna’s grueling schedule. It also served to underline the brilliance of her live performances.

A rare display of vulnerability

During the 777 Tour, Rihanna would perform her No. 1 hit, and the era’s defining ballad, “Diamonds,” penned by singer-turned-hitmaker Sia. While Rihanna’s voice had become an influential force in pop itself, Sia’s throaty singing style ended up coloring Rihanna’s delivery on the track. “Diamonds” instantly went No. 1 and remains one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Even as Rihanna influenced a wave of R&B singers who emulated her vocal style and delivery, she still had to defend herself against claims that her voice didn’t stack up against the more powerful vocalists in the field. Cut to “Stay,” another ballad on Unapologetic. Over a few piano chords, Rihanna delivers one of her most emotional and vulnerable performances to date, featuring guest vocals by Mikky Ekko.

The music video was a far cry from the tough persona Rihanna usually presents in her videos. Naked and alone in a bathtub, the singer reveals more through her music than any interview could hope to capture.

A confident space

Unapologetic opens with “Phresh Out The Runway,” a fashion anthem that finds Rihanna boasting about her rise in the fashion world. The David Guetta co-produced track sounds tailor-made for the runway, as Rihanna asks, “How could you be so hood, but you so phuckin’ pop?”, slyly nodding to her own crossover appeal. She’d end up performing the song at the 2012 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and would, ironically, end up eclipsing the company with her own lingerie brand, Fenty Savage.

Rihanna has never been shy about her penchant for cannabis, but in the realm of pop music, her clouded meditation on smoking weed, “Numb,” was considered controversial at the time. The trap-R&B track saw the pop star tap into her undeniable musical chemistry with Eminem once again, who uses his Slim Shady persona, to switch up his voice and flow.

Thematically, the beginning of Unapologetic finds Rihanna in a confident space. She’s in charge of her destiny, giving off mafioso vibes on “Pour It Up,” a trap strip-club anthem that reads as an answer song to Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance.” On “Loveeeeeee Song,” a duet with emerging trap icon Future, she cautions “don’t slip” and asks, “Why window shop when you own this?” while confessing undying love for her suitor.

On “Jump,” she takes even more control, noting, “Think I give a damn, boy don’t you know who I am?/I ain’t running around chasing no dude.” With thunderous bass drops and a frenzied tempo, “Jump’ leads you right into another Guetta cut, “Right Now.” It instantly became a club favorite, further cementing Rihanna’s role as the CeCe Peniston of the 2010s.

Addressing contradictions

While the first half of Unapologetic showcases Rihanna’s confident side, the second half reveals that she’s still a complex woman who can make some problematic decisions in the eyes of her critics and fans. The power ballad “What Now” addresses this: while her public life looks rosy on the outside, inside she’s been “ignoring this big lump in my throat.” She doesn’t know what’s emotionally eating away at her as she questions “What Now?” to no resolve.

Following “Stay’ is “Nobody’s Business,” another duet with Chris Brown, that samples Michael Jackson over a disco groove. As the couple sings, “It ain’t nobody’s business but mine and my baby,” critics and fans couldn’t fathom why the singer stuck by an abusive partner.

On “Love Without Tragedy”/“Mother Mary,” Rihanna tries to make sense of her own actions, asking listeners, “What’s love without tragedy?” while also being self-aware enough to recognize her own self-sabotaging impulses on the flip side of the song, declaring, “Mother Mary, I swear I wanna change/Mister Jesus, I’d love to be a queen/But I’m from the left side of an island/Never thought this many people would even know my name,” over a new wave production.

She quickly shifts gears, pulling back from personal reveals and launching into another stoner anthem with “Get It Over With,” an alt-R&B masterstroke that adds to Unapologetic’s cloudy soundscape. Meanwhile, “No Love Allowed” is a continuation of Loud’s “Man Down,” but this time around Rihanna is the heartbroken one, asking, “How could you murder us?” As the standout reggae track on the album, “No Love Allowed” is a natural deep cut for the Bajan star.

A humble way to wrap up an era

Unapologetic closes out with another Stargate production, “Lost In Paradise,” which, despite its somber lyrics, is a bouncy track on which Rihanna implores, “How was I to know that my love was delusional/Somebody tell me how to mend a broken-hearted soul.” Despite her pain, however, the song ends on an uplifting note.

On the deluxe edition of the album, “Half Of Me” again finds Rihanna addressing the public controversies and her party-girl reputation. It’s a humble way to wrap up a remarkable four-year journey that truly defined what it meant to be unapologetic.

Buy Rihanna’s Unapologetic on vinyl now.

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