The Roots Music Report's
Top R&B Album Chart
for the Year of 2020
| Album Title | Band/Artist Name | Label | Sub Genre | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick of Time | The James Hunter Six | Daptone | Soul |
| 2 | We Get by | Mavis Staples | Anti | Soul |
| 3 | KIWANUKA | Michael Kiwanuka | Interscope | Soul |
| 4 | Hot Pink | Doja Cat | Kemosabe | Soul |
| 5 | Memories of | Kaz Hawkins | Self-Release | Soul |
| 6 | Bigger Love | John Legend | Columbia | Neo-Soul |
| 7 | After Hours | The Weeknd | UMG | Soul |
| 8 | Oxnard | Anderson .Paak | Aftermath Entertainment | Soul |
| 9 | Lianne La Havas | Lianne La Havas | Nonesuch | Soul |
| 10 | Work to Do | Marc Cohn | BMG | Soul |
| 11 | Blackbirds | Bettye LaVette | Verve | Soul |
| 12 | Worthy | India.Arie | BMG | Soul |
| 13 | Masterpeace | JamesDavis | Motown | Neo-Soul |
| 14 | Play Nice | Cass Clayton | Self-Release | R&B |
| 15 | Homecoming: the Live Album | Beyoncé | Parkwood | Soul |
| 16 | Over It | Summer Walker | Interscope | Soul |
| 17 | S.O.L.A.R. | Inayah | Inayahlator | Soul |
| 18 | The Wild Card | Ledisi | Listen Back | Soul |
| 19 | Soul Food: Cooking with Maceo | Maceo Parker | Mascot | Soul |
| 20 | Kairos | Nicole Bus | Roc Nation | R&B |
| 21 | REAL LIFE | Emeli Sandé | Virgin | Soul |
| 22 | Chilombo | Jhené Aiko | Def Jam | Soul |
| 23 | Ella Mai | Ella Mai | 10 Summers | R&B |
| 24 | U Kin B the Sun | Frazey Ford | Arts & Crafts | R&B |
| 25 | CASE STUDY 01 | Daniel Caesar | Golden Child | Soul |
| 26 | All Love Everything | Aloe Blacc | BMG | Soul |
| 27 | Rouge | Yuna | Verve | R&B |
| 28 | A Muse in Her Feelings | dvsn | OVO Sound | Soul |
| 29 | West Coast Grooves | Guthrie Govan | Self-Release | Soul |
| 30 | Full Circle | Angie Stone | Cleopatra | Soul |
| 31 | Avalanche | Julian Taylor Band | Gypsy Soul | Soul |
| 32 | Dotted Line | Alex Lucero & Live Again | Self-Release | Soul |
| 33 | Dinah Jane 1 | Dinah Jane | Hitco | Soul |
| 34 | Poetry in Motion | The Soul Rebels | Mack Avenue | Soul |
| 35 | Into the Purple Valley | Ry Cooder | Reprise | Soul |
| 36 | Good Thing | Leon Bridges | Sony | Soul |
| 37 | South of I-10 | Sonny Landreth | BMG | R&B |
| 38 | Athena | Sudan Archives | Stones Throw | R&B |
| 39 | The Album | Teyana Taylor | Def Jam | Soul |
| 40 | B7 | Brandy | eOne | Soul |
| 41 | Back Home | Trey Songz | Atlantic | Soul |
| 42 | Steel Hearts | Season Ammons | Cobalt Blue | R&B |
| 43 | Caution | Mariah Carey | Epic | Soul |
| 44 | Jimmy Lee | Raphael Saadiq | Columbia | Soul |
| 45 | Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats | Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats | Bottleneck | Soul |
| 46 | Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In) | Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Daptone | Soul |
| 47 | Love & Conflict | Martha Wash | Purple Rose | Funk |
| 48 | Love Always Wins | Kem | Motown | Soul |
| 49 | The Devonns | The Devonns | Record Kicks | Motown |
| 50 | - Ugh, Those Feels Again | Snoh Aalegra | Epic | R&B |
| 51 | Coming Home | Leon Bridges | Columbia | Soul |
| 52 | Missunderstood: the Diaries | Queen Naija | Capitol | Soul |
| 53 | Step Up | Tower of Power | Artistry Music | R&B |
| 54 | Rise Above | Tomar and the Fcs | Splice | Soul |
| 55 | The One Percent | Bryan Andrew Wilson | CE Music | Soul |
| 56 | Ready | Ella Mai | 10 Summers | Neo-Soul |
| 57 | What's Going on | Devon Gilfillian | Capitol | R&B |
| 58 | Guitar Gumbo | Tom Principato | Powerhouse | R&B |
| 59 | Whatever It Takes | The James Hunter Six | Daptone | Soul |
| 60 | Say the Word | The Allergies | Jalapeno | Soul |
| 61 | It is What It is | Thundercat | Brainfeeder | Soul |
| 62 | Introspection | Angela Munoz | Linear Labs | R&B |
| 63 | Collapsed in Sunbeams | Arlo Parks | Transgressive | R&B |
| 64 | It's Only Us | Monophonics | Colemine | Soul |
| 65 | Night Time People | The Bamboos | BMG | R&B |
| 66 | 100 Days, 100 Nights | Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Daptone | Soul |
| 67 | Fever | Thomas Dybdahl | V2 | Soul |
| 68 | Star Time | James Brown | Polydor | Funk |
| 69 | Live at Sun Studio | The Movers & Shakers | Self-Release | R&B |
| 70 | Starts Again | Tawiah | First Word | Soul |
| 71 | How the Mighty Fall | Izo Fitzroy | Jalapeno | Soul |
| 72 | Stay Good | Brooklyn Funk Essentials | Dorado | Soul |
| 73 | Land of the Living | Eleanor Underhill | Self-Release | Soul |
| 74 | Call It Home, Vol. 1 & 2 | The California Honeydrops | Tubtune | Soul |
| 75 | Crossover | Emma Donovan & The Putbacks | Hopestreet | Soul |
| 76 | Afroclectic | Plunky & Oneness | Self-Release | R&B |
| 77 | Totem | The Motet | Self-Release | Funk |
| 78 | Sis. | KIRBY | Self-Release | R&B |
| 79 | American Griots | Louis York | Weirdo Workshop | Soul |
| 80 | Never Twice | Nick Waterhouse | Innovative Leisure | Soul |
| 81 | Live from Austin, Tx | Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men | New West | R&B |
| 82 | 88 Elmira St. | Danny Gatton | Elektra | R&B |
| 83 | Step into It | Funktion | Self-Release | Funk |
| 84 | Death or Devotion | The Motet | The Motet | Funk |
| 85 | The Hang | Redtenbacher's Funkestra | RSB | Funk |
| 86 | PAUL | PJ Morton | Morton | R&B |
| 87 | The Lion King: the Gift | Beyoncé | Sony | R&B |
| 88 | Samsara | Los Coast | New West | Soul |
| 89 | 3.15.20 | Childish Gambino | RCA | Soul |
| 90 | The Best of the Tru Thoughts Years | The Bamboos | Tru Thoughts | R&B |
| 91 | Wide Nose Full Lips | SuCh | Arc Sai | Soul |
| 92 | RESONANCE | Cautious Clay | Self-Release | Soul |
| 93 | I Learned the Hard Way | Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Daptone Records | Soul |
| 94 | RedRoom | J. Howell | JT Productions | R&B |
| 95 | Dyna-Mite | Jon Cleary | Thirty Tigers | Soul |
| 96 | Indigo | Chris Brown | RCA | Soul |
| 97 | Soul Side of Town | Tower of Power | Artistry Music | R&B |
| 98 | Exodus | Brian McKnight | The SoNo Recording Group | R&B |
| 99 | Hear from Here | Eric Roberson | Blue Erro Soul | Neo-Soul |
| 100 | Live in London | Mavis Staples | Anti | Soul |
| 101 | KIKI | Kiana Ledé | Republic | Neo-Soul |
| 102 | Genesis | The Shindellas | Weirdo Workshop | R&B |
| 103 | Surfacing | R.Lum.R | Island | R&B |
| 104 | Timeless | Day Kornegay | 45 Riots | R&B |
| 105 | Heroes & Gods | Rahsaan Patterson | Shanachie | Neo-Soul |
| 106 | The Fun Ones | RJD2 | Self-Release | R&B |
| 107 | Love and Compromise | Mahalia | Warner | R&B |
| 108 | Forever Yours | J. Brown | MoCha Music | R&B |
| 109 | CeeLo Green is Thomas Callaway | Cee Lo Green | BMG | Disco |
| 110 | Romantique, Pt. 2 | Will Downing | Sophisticated Soul | Disco |
| 111 | Smoke & Mirrors | Bassel & the Supernaturals | Bassel Music | Soul |
| 112 | Chasing Summer | SiR | Top Dawg | R&B |
| 113 | The Right Time | Ural Thomas & the Pain | Tender Loving Empire | Soul |
| 114 | Tubman. | Avery R. Young | FPE | R&B |
| 115 | GREY Area | Little Simz | Age 101 | R&B |
| 116 | That Rock 'n' Roll Rhythm! | Tammi Savoy & The Chris Casello Combo | Swelltune | R&B |
| 117 | Ventura | Anderson .Paak | Aftermath | R&B |
| 118 | Audacity Complete | Kevin Ross | Art Society Music Group | R&B |
| 119 | World Wide Funk | Bootsy Collins | Mascot | Funk |
| 120 | Acoustic Soul | India.Arie | UMG | Soul |
| 121 | Neville Jacobs | Neville Jacobs | Harmonized | Funk |
| 122 | I'm Still Looking | Hazel Miller | Hazel Miller | Soul |
| 123 | Pieces of Mind | Write Minded | Self-Release | R&B |
| 124 | Timeless | After 7 | eOne Music | R&B |
| 125 | The Road from Memphis | Booker T. Jones | Anti | Soul |
| 126 | "Awaken, My Love!" | Childish Gambino | Glassnote | Soul |
| 127 | A Change is Gonna Come | Leela James | Warner Bros | Soul |
| 128 | Romantique, Pt. 1 | Will Downing | Sophisticated Soul | R&B |
| 129 | Third Wall Chronicles | The Pimps Of Joytime | Sugar Road | Funk |
| 130 | Stone Rollin' | Raphael Saadiq | Sony | Soul |
| 131 | Every Great Motown Hit of Marvin Gaye | Marvin Gaye | Motown | Motown |
| 132 | Interpretations: the British Rock Songbook | Bettye LaVette | ANTI | Soul |
| 133 | Are You Ready | Leela James | Entertainment One | Soul |
| 134 | Nyla | Marsha Ambrosius | eOne Music | R&B |
| 135 | How Do You Do | Mayer Hawthorne | Universal | Soul |
| 136 | Let Love | Common | Loma Vista | Soul |
| 137 | I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You | Aretha Franklin | Atlantic | Soul |
| 138 | Listen | Kyshona Armstrong | Tone Tree | Soul |
| 139 | Higher! | Sly & The Family Stone | Sony | Funk |
| 140 | The Art of Love & War | Angie Stone | Stax | Soul |
| 141 | This Joy | Resistance Revival Chorus | Righteous Babe | Neo-Soul |
| 142 | Funky Mother | Analog Son | Color Red | R&B |
| 143 | ICONOLOGY - EP | Missy Elliott | Atlantic | R&B |
| 144 | All or Nothing | Calvin Richardson | Shanachie | R&B |
| 145 | Call Me | Al Green | Hi Under Exclusive | Soul |
| 146 | The Very Best of the Spinners | The Spinners | Rhino | Soul |
| 147 | A Strange Arrangement | Mayer Hawthorne | Stones Throw | R&B |
| 148 | Green Onions | Booker T. & The M.G.'s | Warner | R&B |
| 149 | The ArchAndroid | Janelle Monae | Atlantic | Soul |
| 150 | If All I Was Was Black | Mavis Staples | Anti | Soul |
| 151 | Shelby Lynne | Shelby Lynne | Everso | Soul |
| 152 | Manifestation | Maurice White | Soulmusic | R&B |
| 153 | Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (Collector's Edition) | Otis Redding | Warner Music | Soul |
| 154 | Lovin' on You | Jeffrey Dennis | eOne Music | R&B |
| 155 | Love, Sex, & Religion | Johnta Austin | Austin Ent. | Neo-Soul |
| 156 | Masterpeace | Montell Jordan | Masterpeace | Neo-Soul |
| 157 | Family Affair | Tamika Scott | Brolic Ent. | Neo-Soul |
| 158 | Sides (Acoustic) | Emily King | ATO | Soul |
| 159 | Gold | Ohio Players | Mercury | R&B |
| 160 | I've Got My Own Hell to Raise | Bettye LaVette | Anti | Soul |
| 161 | Small Change | Tom Waits | Asylum | R&B |
| 162 | Miss Sharon Jones! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Daptone | Soul |
| 163 | Can I Tell You Something? | Mo Moshiri | URBNET | R&B |
| 164 | Atmosphere | New Orleans Nightcrawlers | Self-Release | Soul |
| 165 | Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul | Otis Redding | Atco | Soul |
| 166 | H.E.R. | H.E.R. | RCA | R&B |
| 167 | Dance with You | Chris Jasper | Gold City | R&B |
| 168 | In Black & White | Fifty Dollar Friend | Self-Release | Soul |
| 169 | Dance to the Music | Sly & The Family Stone | One Media | Funk |
| 170 | 50th Anniversary Collection | James Brown | Universal | Funk |
| 171 | Where Do We Go from Here | Dumpstaphunk | Mascot | Funk |
| 172 | Talking Book | Stevie Wonder | Universal Motown Records | R&B |
| 173 | Fire | Euforquestra | Euforquestra | Funk |
| 174 | ELDORADO | Ro James | ByStorm | Soul |
| 175 | Pure Southern Soul | Otis Redding | Rhino | Soul |
| 176 | Soul with a Capital "S" - the Best of Tower of Power | Tower of Power | Sony | Funk |
| 177 | Junco Partner: Very Best of James Wayne 1950-1955 | James Wayne | Jasmine | R&B |
| 178 | The Queen of Soul | Aretha Franklin | Rhino | Soul |
| 179 | What Have You Done, My Brother? | Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens | Daptone | Soul |
| 180 | Electric Café | En Vogue | En Vogue | Soul |
| 181 | Queen Naija | Queen Naija | Capitol | R&B |
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