@Lawrence Johnson

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Focused on the mellower, mature side of R&B, the tracks here capture the music as an offshoot of soul and jazz, of quiet storm and adult contemporary—Black pop at its most contemplative and sophisticated, but still deeply connected to real life. Our editors update picks regularly, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

Great songs aren't just songs—they're vessels for feelings we might not have the bandwidth to access otherwise. This set of emotional pop and R&B tunes—some classics, some new—is designed to help you open up and let it out. Our editors update this playlist regularly, so if you hear something that hits you way down deep, add it to your library. 

Bound together by soul, the stars and fast-rising artists in this playlist are remaking the R&B sound in their own image—with a proud British twist. It’d be hard to find a song that nails this vibe better than “Different Type of Love,” the latest from Leicester singer Mahalia, featuring an assist from buzzing dancehall deejay Masicka. ’90s R&B fans might catch a little Brandy & Monica, “The Boy Is Mine” nostalgia from harp plucks, but you needn’t be familiar with the throwback to enjoy what Mahalia does here. In fact, you’d have to be a different type of R&B fan not understand its magic. Listen to “Different Type of Love” on the UK R&B playlist and if you hear something you’re into, add it to your library.

A mix of laidback hip-hop, R&B, and the occasional chilled-out electronic soul track, this playlist is calibrated to carry you into low lights and late nights. Because “after hours” doesn't mean it's over. We regularly refresh this set with new music. If you like a song, add it to your library.

Change is good, but a lot of the best R&B points back to the source. Focusing on current stuff with some classics sprinkled in, this playlist highlights grown-up R&B tunes with hints of the classic tradition: relaxed new sounds with the same old soul. Our editors are always switching things out, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

Here's one for listeners looking for that brand-new, every day. Indie R&B, emo-rap, foggy bedroom soul, you name it—what follows is a snapshot from the vanguard, a place of cross-pollination, casual experimentation, breaking down boundaries like it wasn't a thing. We refresh this playlist daily. Add it to your library so you don't miss a beat.

Good R&B can be balm for the soul. Here's a playlist of new and contemporary stuff highlighting the mellower, more acoustic side of the sound: some retro, some progressive, some ballads, some with just a slight bump in the beat. Tracks here change regularly, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.