@Kam Theman

Whether it’s a weekday morning or Saturday night, get going with this personalized mix of upbeat music. Refreshed every Monday.

Songs to help you relax and unwind. Updated every Sunday.

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

Starting in the mid-’70s, urban radio DJs began filling the late-night airwaves with a silky new brand of R&B ballad; it was rooted in the soulful vocal expressions of the ‘50s and ‘60s but featured an unprecedented degree of plushness and smoothness. Named after a stellar track by Smokey Robinson and epitomized by such iconic artists as Al Green, Roberta Flack, and Anita Baker, the Quiet Storm format soon caught on nationwide, showcasing many of the era’s most versatile and emotive singers at their most sensitive and most seductive. Spacious arrangements, laidback grooves, and sumptuous strings all became trademarks of the sound. Delivering performances that were direct and sincere yet never too aggressive, specialists like Teddy Pendergrass and Patti LaBelle helped give vivid new life to even the most familiar of love-song sentiments.

Here’s where you’ll find the best R&B tracks making the rounds online. Just like your feed, this playlist is constantly being updated—if you hear a song you like, add it to your library.

Songs to help you relax and unwind. Updated every Sunday.

Taking an approach to R&B that was as inclusive as it was singular, Teena Marie revitalized the genre with her funk-tinged grooves, commanding singing, and tight songwriting. On “Square Biz,” she married early-'80s cool to an unbridled vocal performance and a lyrical nod to the hip-hop cornerstone “Rapper's Delight”; “Lovergirl” brought together popping beats and soaring electric guitars; and on “Fire and Desire.” she turned up the heat with fellow funk pioneer Rick James. Marie's kitchen-sink version of soul music opened doors and lit up dance floors.

Druggy, raw, slick, and surreal, Future’s singular sound helped to redefine 2010s street rap as something strange and almost avant-garde. Imagine trap as modern psychedelia, though still naggingly melodic. Future has a way of bending his voice into soulful, often sad shapes that are half-rapped and half-sung—epitomized by his 2017 blockbuster “Mask Off.” His unwavering self-assurance continues to define his work as he settles into middle age. Rather than mellowing with the years, he remains outspoken and unapologetic about his rock-star lifestyle and chemical excesses, as heard on 2022’s “WAIT FOR YOU” alongside Drake and Tems, and 2024’s addled “Like That” with Kendrick Lamar and Metro Boomin. Showing unusual staying power across the shifting sands of smaller trends and wider eras alike, Future has lost none of his heavyweight status in the years since his groggy, grandiose breakthrough—whether he’s casually dropping labyrinthine mixtapes or commanding superstar cameos.