There is no single definitive ranking of 2014’s best R&B albums. Rolling Stone’s year-end list offers one published order, led by FKA twigs’ LP1, Prince’s Art Official Age and Tinashe’s Aquarius. This guide uses those verified entries as a starting point, then widens the view with selections from AllMusic and ThisisRnB. It includes contemporary and alternative R&B alongside neo-soul, soul and pop-soul; Ty Dolla $ign’s seven-song Beach House EP counts as an EP, not a full-length album.
How to read this list
The numbered order below is Rolling Stone’s editorial ranking as reproduced by Album of the Year, not a universal verdict. The available list text verifies its first 15 entries but does not expose positions 16–20, so those places are not reconstructed here. To complete the picture without inventing a ranking, the later sections identify additional records selected by AllMusic and ThisisRnB, clearly labeled as their choices.
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R&B boundaries vary across these publications. The selections range from alternative and contemporary R&B to neo-soul, soul, gospel and pop-soul. That breadth makes room for distinct sounds without suggesting every record belongs to the same narrow subgenre.
Rolling Stone’s verified top 15
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FKA twigs — LP1
Released August 6, 2014, LP1 takes a fractured, atmospheric approach to R&B. The Rolling Stone excerpt reproduced by Album of the Year highlights its U.K. grime and garage elements, offset by twigs’ elegiac vocals. It is the publication’s number-one album on this list.
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Prince — Art Official Age
Released September 30, 2014, Prince’s record moves through contemporary R&B, synth funk and dance-pop. Its placement at number two reflects the list’s openness to a veteran artist’s hybrid, electronic take on R&B.
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Tinashe — Aquarius
Released October 7, 2014, Aquarius blends alternative and contemporary R&B with trap-soul, downtempo and pop-rap touches. The reproduced review excerpt emphasizes the album’s hazy atmosphere and Tinashe’s soprano.
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Jessie Ware — Tough Love
Released October 13, 2014, Ware’s second album sits between contemporary R&B and pop. Rolling Stone’s excerpt characterizes it as romantic and emotionally direct.
Rank #2
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Toni Braxton & Babyface — Love, Marriage & Divorce
Released February 4, 2014, this contemporary R&B collaboration brings two established voices together around the trials of relationships. Its duet format gives the album a conversational center.
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Mary J. Blige — The London Sessions
Released December 2, 2014, the album pairs Blige’s hip-hop-soul roots with pop-soul and work involving U.K. collaborators. AllMusic describes a mix of aching ballads and dance tracks, made with Rodney Jerkins and emerging British talent.
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Kelis — Food
Released April 22, 2014, Food leans into neo-soul and contemporary R&B. AllMusic calls it Kelis’ sixth studio album and notes the fruitful collaboration with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek.
Rank #3
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Tink — Winter’s Diary 2
Released January 10, 2014, this contemporary R&B mixtape-style project is an early-career entry in the list, with Tink’s writing and vocal delivery at its center.
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Jeremih & Shlohmo — No More
Released July 17, 2014, this collaborative project represents the list’s alternative R&B side, pairing Jeremih’s vocals with Shlohmo’s atmospheric production.
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Fatima — Yellow Memories
Released May 12, 2014, the album bridges neo-soul and contemporary R&B. Its inclusion makes room for a less mainstream, soul-oriented approach within the broader year-end field.
Rank #4
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PARTYNEXTDOOR — PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
Released July 29, 2014, this second album combines alternative and contemporary R&B with cloud rap and trap-soul. Its sound reflects the hazy, beat-led strain of R&B that was prominent in the period.
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Teyana Taylor — VII
Released November 4, 2014, VII is described by AllMusic as a set of slow jams. It offers a more traditional R&B counterpoint to the list’s experimental and electronic selections.
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Trey Songz — Trigga
Released July 1, 2014, Trigga is a contemporary R&B release built around Songz’s smooth vocal style and relationship-focused material.
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August Alsina — Testimony
Released April 15, 2014, Alsina’s contemporary R&B debut also appears among AllMusic’s year-end selections, making it one of the clearest overlaps between the publications.
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Ty Dolla $ign — Beach House EP
Released January 21, 2014, this seven-song EP continues the sound of Ty Dolla $ign’s Beach House mixtapes. Its inclusion is a reminder that the Rolling Stone list counts an EP alongside albums.
Other 2014 R&B picks worth seeking out
ThisisRnB’s selection
ThisisRnB offers a separate 20-album ranking, beginning at number 20 with Omarion’s Sex Playlist. The publication highlights Mary J. Blige, K. Michelle and Chris Brown among the year’s releases. Its discussion of Omarion points to the 13-track project and singles “Show Me,” “The Only One” and “Steam.” These are selections from ThisisRnB’s own editorial perspective, not extensions of Rolling Stone’s order.
AllMusic’s broader favorites
AllMusic’s unranked year-end choices show how much the category expands when soul and related styles are included. Its selections include Algebra Blessett’s Recovery, K. Michelle’s Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?, Ledisi’s The Truth, Lee Fields & the Expressions’ Emma Jean, Marsha Ambrosius’ Friends & Lovers, Meshell Ndegeocello’s Comet, Come to Me, Pharrell Williams’ G I R L, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings’ Give the People What They Want. AllMusic also notes the attention D’Angelo drew at the end of 2014, while pointing readers toward other worthy releases.
Why 2014 R&B lists differ
- Different editorial aims: Rolling Stone supplies a ranked magazine list, ThisisRnB a separate ranked retrospective, and AllMusic an unranked set of favorites.
- Different genre boundaries: a list focused on contemporary and alternative R&B will not necessarily resemble one that also embraces gospel, neo-soul, pop-soul and broader soul.
- Different formats: Rolling Stone’s inclusion of Beach House EP signals that its list is not limited to full-length albums.
- Different moments in time: year-end rankings capture editorial judgments from their publication period; they should not be treated as a settled later consensus.
Keep Grammy year separate from album release year
Award-year labels can be easy to misread when building a list by release year. The Recording Academy identifies its 56th Annual Grammy Awards as the 2014 ceremony and lists Alicia Keys’ Girl On Fire as the Best R&B Album winner, with R&B Divas, John Legend’s Love In The Future, Chrisette Michele’s Better and TGT’s Three Kings as nominees. That ceremony label does not establish that those albums were released in 2014. The Academy describes the category as recognizing “artistic excellence in albums of R&B music.”
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