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. Frank Ocean - Blonde

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

9. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
May 18, 2010
Critic Score
86
25 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

10. FKA Twigs - LP1

FKA Twigs - LP1
August 12, 2014
Critic Score
86
37 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. Kali Uchis - Isolation

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

13. 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

14. Sampha - Process

Sampha - Process
February 3, 2017
Critic Score
83
29 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. James Blake - Overgrown

James Blake - Overgrown
April 8, 2013
Critic Score
83
33 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

17. Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady

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

18. The-Dream - Love Hate

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

19. D∆WN - Blackheart

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

20. The Weeknd - Trilogy

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

21. SZA - Ctrl

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

22. Ariana Grande - Yours Truly

Ariana Grande - Yours Truly
August 30, 2013
Critic Score
81
5 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

23. Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream

Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream
October 2, 2012
Critic Score
81
13 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

24. James Blake - James Blake

James Blake - James Blake
February 8, 2011
Critic Score
81
28 reviews
Amazon
iTunes
Apple Music
Spotify

25. Aaliyah - Aaliyah

Aaliyah - Aaliyah
July 7, 2001
Critic Score
81
6 reviews
Amazon
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
Drowned in Sound
Entertainment Weekly
Exclaim!
FACT Magazine
FasterLouder
GIGsoup
God Is in the TV
HipHopDX
Loud and Quiet
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
Out This Week
80
80
90
79
73
69
67
85
82
NR
More Releases
Newsworthy
Submit a Link
Avicii Dead at 28
Avicii Dead at 28
Ariana Grande Shares New Song “No Tears Left to Cry”
Ariana Grande Shares New Song “No Tears Left to Cry”
Stream J. Cole - KOD
Stream J. Cole - KOD
Deerhunter announce new album, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
Deerhunter announce new album, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
4 points / 5 Comments
Kanye Announces 2 New Albums
Kanye Announces 2 New Albums
2 points / Comment
Recent Best Music
View More
Kali Uchis - Isolation
Saba - Care for Me
Mount Eerie - Now Only
Rival Consoles - Persona
Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar
Confidence Man - Confident Music For Confident People
Sons of Kemet - Your Queen is a Reptile
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Amen Dunes - Freedom

April 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
© 2018 Album of The Year