It’s been feared for a while now that real R&B, soul music was slowly fading into a seemingly bottomless chasm of pop life. Until recently, most commercially embraced R&B contained less soul and more of a ‘poppish’, hip-hop or dance vibe in the likes of artists such as Beyonce’, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Usher and Chris Brown. It’s refreshing to see that the vintage sound that gave R&B its roots has returned tenfold with the emergence of new artists like BJ The Kid, Anderson .Paak and Ro James as well as R&B staples like Maxwell, Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway and Fantasia and returning old school faves Mint Condition and Mýa. Across the board, R&B music whether contemporary, traditional or urban has made a triumphant return and it’s formidable not ‘watered-down’ presence will definitely be felt at this years Grammy Awards. Nominations in several R&B categories are listed below:
Best Traditional R&B Performance:
“The Three Of Me” — William Bell
“Woman’s World” — BJ The Chicago Kid
“Sleeping With The One I Love” — Fantasia
“Angel” — Lalah Hathaway
“Can’t Wait” — Jill Scott
Best R&B Performance:
“Turnin’ Me Up” — BJ The Chicago Kid
“Permission” — Ro James
“I Do” — Musiq Soulchild
“Needed Me” — Rihanna
“Cranes in the Sky” — Solange
Best Traditional R&B Performance:
“The Three Of Me” — William Bell
“Woman’s World” — BJ The Chicago Kid
“Sleeping With The One I Love” — Fantasia
“Angel” — Lalah Hathaway
“Can’t Wait” — Jill Scott
Best R&B Song:
“Come and See Me” — J. Brathwaite, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (PartyNextDoor Featuring Drake)
“Exchange” — Michael Hernandez & Bryson Tiller, songwriters (Bryson Tiller)
“Kiss It Better” — Jeff Bhasker, Robyn Fenty, John-Nathan Glass & Natalia Noemi, songwriters (Rihanna)
“Lake By the Ocean” — Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
“Luv” — Magnus August Høiberg, Benjamin Levin & Daystar Peterson, songwriters (Tory Lanez)
Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Ology — Gallant
We Are King — KING
Malibu — Anderson .Paak
Anti — Rihanna
Best R&B Album:
In My Mind — BJ The Chicago Kid
Lalah Hathaway Live — Lalah Hathaway
Velvet Portraits — Terrace Martin
Healing Season — Mint Condition
Smoove Jones — Mya
