11. Songs in A Minor, Alicia Keys (2001)
Alicia's debut album raised the bar for R&B music and to this day, people are still stretching upward to try reaching her level of talent.
12. No More Drama, Mary J. Blige (2001)
13. Confessions, Usher (2004)
14. Voodoo, D'Angelo (2000)
15. Mama's Gun, Erykah Badu (2000)
This album, which is probably best known for the single "Bag Lady," has plenty of other good material on it, with the song "Didn't Cha Know?" being worthy of special mention.
16. Get Lifted, John Legend (2004)
Get Lifted is a near-perfect blend of R&B, Soul, Gospel and Hip-Hop.
17. The Phoenix, Lyfe Jennings (2006)
Album number two for convict-turned-R&B-star Lyfe Jennings picks up right where his first album left off, with Lyfe continuing to sing about his post-prison experiences. The flight that he takes the listener on is a bumpy one: it's filled with Lyfe's ups and downs, lefts and rights, wrong turns, bad decisions and pitfalls. The journey is an emotional, difficult one, but by the end of the trip, you'll know that the flight with The Phoenix was definitely worth taking.
18. My Name Is Joe, Joe (2004)
This was Joe's most successful album to date, and it's easy to see why, with addictive songs like "Stutter" and "I Wanna Know" on it.
19. Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson (2008)
Out of all the former "American Idol" hopefuls - winners and losers alike - Jennifer Hudson will likely go down in the history as one of the most - if not the most - talented and successful of all. She's already won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and numerous other awards. One thing she hadn't done though, was actually release a full album - until now. And that album, a self-titled release that dropped in the U.S. on Sept. 30, 2008, further cements her status as one of America's most talented singer-actresses. Although this is just her debut, she's already reached elite status as an R&B singer.
20. Get Used to It, Brand New Heavies (2006)
Get Used To It marks the return of singer N'Dea Davenport, who left the band to pursue a solo career following the group's 1994 release, Brother Sister. But despite not having recorded a full album together in over a decade, Davenport and the other band members - guitarist Simon Bartholomew, drummer/keyboardist Jan Kinkaid, and bassist Andrew Love Levy - still have a amazing musical chemistry together.