Overview
Best Albums
New Releases
Top Artists

The Best R&B Albums of All Time

Year
Genre

1. Prince - Sign "O" the Times

Prince - Sign
March 31, 1987
Critic Score
100
6 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

2. Michael Jackson - Thriller

Michael Jackson - Thriller
November 30, 1982
Critic Score
94
6 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

3. Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain

Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain
June 25, 1984
Critic Score
91
6 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

4. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
August 25, 1998
Critic Score
91
8 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

5. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
July 17, 2012
Critic Score
91
33 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

6. Beyoncé - Lemonade

Beyoncé - Lemonade
April 23, 2016
Critic Score
90
32 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music

7. Solange - A Seat at the Table

Solange - A Seat at the Table
September 30, 2016
Critic Score
87
25 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

8. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
May 18, 2010
Critic Score
87
28 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

9. FKA Twigs - LP1

FKA Twigs - LP1
August 12, 2014
Critic Score
86
40 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

10. Frank Ocean - Blonde

Frank Ocean - Blonde
August 20, 2016
Critic Score
86
36 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

11. Bilal - A Love Surreal

Bilal - A Love Surreal
February 26, 2013
Critic Score
85
7 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

12. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer

Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer
April 27, 2018
Critic Score
85
32 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

13. Kali Uchis - Isolation

Kali Uchis - Isolation
April 6, 2018
Critic Score
85
18 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

14. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1

Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1
July 18, 2000
Critic Score
84
5 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

15. Beyoncé - Beyoncé

Beyoncé - Beyoncé
December 13, 2013
Critic Score
83
28 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

16. Sampha - Process

Sampha - Process
February 3, 2017
Critic Score
83
31 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

17. Kids See Ghosts - KIDS SEE GHOSTS

Kids See Ghosts - KIDS SEE GHOSTS
June 8, 2018
Critic Score
83
20 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

18. James Blake - Overgrown

James Blake - Overgrown
April 8, 2013
Critic Score
82
36 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

19. Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady

Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady
September 10, 2013
Critic Score
82
33 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

20. The-Dream - Love Hate

The-Dream - Love Hate
December 11, 2007
Critic Score
82
7 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music

21. D∆WN - Blackheart

D∆WN - Blackheart
January 15, 2015
Critic Score
82
6 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

22. serpentwithfeet - soil

serpentwithfeet - soil
June 8, 2018
Critic Score
82
16 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

23. The Weeknd - Trilogy

The Weeknd - Trilogy
November 13, 2012
Critic Score
82
17 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

24. SZA - Ctrl

SZA - Ctrl
June 9, 2017
Critic Score
82
17 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

25. Ariana Grande - Yours Truly

Ariana Grande - Yours Truly
August 30, 2013
Critic Score
81
5 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify
NEXT »
Related
Recent R&B Albums
Users' Highest Rated R&B Albums of all
The Best Albums of all
MORE GENRES:
Alt-Country
Alternative Rock
Art Pop
Country
Dream Pop
Electronic
Electropop
Experimental
Experimental Rock
Folk
Folk Rock
Garage Rock
Hard Rock
Hip Hop
Indie Folk
Indie Pop
Indie Rock
Metal
Noise Rock
Pop
Pop Rock
Post-Rock
Psychedelic Rock
Punk Rock
R&B
Rock
Shoegaze
Singer-Songwriter
Soul
Synthpop

Connect with AOTY
Like Us
Follow Us
Critic Score
User Score
All Publications
A.V. Club
AllHipHop
AllMusic
Alternative Press
American Songwriter
Beats Per Minute
Billboard
Clash
Coke Machine Glow
Complex
Consequence of Sound
Crack Magazine
DIY
Dork
Drowned in Sound
Entertainment Weekly
Exclaim!
FACT Magazine
FasterLouder
FLOOD Magazine
GIGsoup
God Is in the TV
HipHopDX
Loud and Quiet
Metal Injection
Metal Sucks
Mojo
musicOMH
NME
No Ripcord
Northern Transmissions
NOW Magazine
Paste
Pitchfork
PopMatters
Prefix
Pretty Much Amazing
Resident Advisor
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Spectrum Culture
Spin
Sputnikmusic
The 405
The Fly
The Guardian
The Independent
The Line of Best Fit
The Needle Drop
The Observer
The Skinny
The Telegraph
Time Out London
Tiny Mix Tapes
Uncut
Under The Radar
Wondering Sound
XLR8R
XXL
New Album Releases
81
83
67
78
75
75
71
81
70
70
More Releases
Newsworthy
Submit a Link
Watch ZHU and Tame Impala’s New “My Life” Video Starring Willow Smith
Watch ZHU and Tame Impala’s New “My Life” Video Starring Willow Smith
SOPHIE Has Three More “Albums” Coming This Year
SOPHIE Has Three More “Albums” Coming This Year
Watch Chvrches Cover Kendrick Lamar’s “LOVE.”
Watch Chvrches Cover Kendrick Lamar’s “LOVE.”
The 1975 share new song "Love It If We Made It"
The 1975 share new song "Love It If We Made It"
Muse have shared a futuristic, Teen Wolf inspired video for ‘Something Human’
Muse have shared a futuristic, Teen Wolf inspired video for ‘Something Human’
Recent Best Music
View More
John Coltrane - Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album
Years & Years - Palo Santo
SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES
Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Pusha-T - Daytona
Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light
Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth
Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow
Kids See Ghosts - KIDS SEE GHOSTS

July Playlist
AOTY Discord
Forums
ALBUMS
Highest Rated
Lowest Rated
Recently Rated
Year End Lists
New Releases
Random
ARTISTS
Overview
Highest Rated
Random
GENRE
Overview
Indie Rock
Electronic
Hip Hop
Folk
Indie Pop
MORE
Forums
Newsworthy
User Updates
Site Updates
SITE DETAILS
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Contact Us
Feedback
Donate
© 2018 Album of The Year