Best Soul and RandB Songs of All Time

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1. 1
   MG
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   What's Going On

   Marvin Gaye · from What's Going On (1971) · Album scores 96/99

   A plea for peace, beautifully arranged.

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2. 2
   AF
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   Respect

   Aretha Franklin · from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) · Album scores 82/99

   The Queen of Soul's defining moment.

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3. 3
   SW
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   Superstition

   Stevie Wonder · from Talking Book (1972) · Album scores 94/99

   One of funk's greatest riffs.

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4. 4
   OR
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   (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

   Otis Redding · from The Dock of the Bay (1968) · Album scores 79/99

   Wistful, posthumous perfection.

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5. 5
   AG
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   Let's Stay Together

   Al Green · from Let's Stay Together (1972) · Album scores 88/99

   Smooth Memphis soul at its peak.

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6. 6
   CM
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   Move On Up

   Curtis Mayfield · from Curtis (1970) · Album scores 93/99

   An uplifting, horn-driven groove.

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7. 7
   D'
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   Untitled (How Does It Feel)

   D'Angelo · from Voodoo (2000) · Album scores 97/99

   Slow-burning, Prince-indebted neo-soul.

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8. 8
   FO
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   Thinkin Bout You

   Frank Ocean · from Channel Orange (2012) · Album scores 86/99

   A tender falsetto breakthrough.

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9. 9
   AW
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   Back to Black

   Amy Winehouse · from Back to Black (2006) · Album scores 80/99

   Retro soul with a modern ache.

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10. 10
    PR
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    Kiss

    Prince · from Parade (1986) · Album scores 80/99

    Minimalist funk and a famous falsetto.

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11. 11
    BE
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    Crazy in Love

    Beyoncé · from Dangerously in Love (2003) · Album scores 90/99

    A horn-stab hit and a star turn.

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12. 12
    MA
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    Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)

    Maxwell · from Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996) · Album scores 80/99

    Smooth, sensual neo-soul.

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13. 13
    AF
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    I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)

    Aretha Franklin · from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) · Album scores 82/99

    The debut Muscle Shoals track that established the queen.

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14. 14
    MG
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    Sexual Healing

    Marvin Gaye · from Midnight Love (1982) · Album scores 79/99

    The comeback that proved he hadn't run out of ideas.

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15. 15
    SW
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    Higher Ground

    Stevie Wonder · from Innervisions (1973) · Album scores 85/99

    The reborn-again Stevie, funkier and more urgent than anyone expected.

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16. 16
    D'
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    Brown Sugar

    D'Angelo · from Brown Sugar (1995) · Album scores 83/99

    The neo-soul arrival — Prince's influence, Al Green's warmth.

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17. 17
    PR
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    Purple Rain

    Prince · from Purple Rain (1984) · Album scores 99/99

    The guitar solo that ended the film and the song that made him immortal.

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18. 18
    EB
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    On & On

    Erykah Badu · from Baduizm (1997) · Album scores 94/99

    The arrival of a voice that sounded completely outside of time.

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19. 19
    AG
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    Let's Stay Together

    Al Green · from Let's Stay Together (1972) · Album scores 88/99

    Willie Mitchell's arrangement and Al Green's plea — perfect.

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20. 20
    MJ
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    Real Love

    Mary J. Blige · from What's the 411? (1992) · Album scores 88/99

    The sample, the rasp, the vulnerability — defining 90s R&B.

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21. 21
    BE
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    Crazy in Love

    Beyoncé · from Dangerously in Love (2003) · Album scores 90/99

    The Chi-Lites horn loop and a star-making performance.

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22. 22
    OR
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    (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

    Otis Redding · from The Dock of the Bay (1968) · Album scores 79/99

    The song he finished two days before he died — the most bittersweet #1.

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