NPR R&B/Soul

It's so easy to fall in love with the music of Mac Ayres. This set, backed by a stunning band, is profoundly satisfying, tastefully arranged and always in the pocket.

The English artist made her name with thoughtful pop-R&B. On What Are the Odds, she pulls her dancier roots to the surface.

E.U. is an OG of go-go music, a heavily syncopated funk that features a slow and steady groove. Naturally, we celebrate 50 years of the native D.C. music with an office party.

TikTok made "Love Me Not" a Top 10 hit, but its rise felt disembodied from the artist behind it. On Blue Island, Lenae responds to a career plot twist by stepping into the past.

The 1976 film is about a '60s trio based loosely on The Supremes. It wasn't a big hit, but it has a devoted cult following, and critic Ken Tucker says it features some of Aretha Franklin's finest performances.

The R&B group's breakout stars released new solo albums on the same day — one leaning out of the spotlight while the other confronts viral fame.

The husband-wife duo, and their tight band, deliver fresh, soul-inflected songs of uncommon power.

R&B star Syd explores the complexities of romantic relationships and self-acceptance in her third solo album, Beard.

The singular singer's third album finds a message worthy of her instrument: Great romances are defined not by what you want, but by the act of wanting.

New albums by Lizzo and the rising artist Imani Imani are both "event" records — but one arrives with arguably too much backstory, the other with almost none.