Lesser Known R&B Songs for People in Love

These romantic songs are worth knowing

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When it comes to songs about love, no genre makes better songs about love, emotions, and feelings than rhythm and blues, or R&B. Since the birth of ​R&B music, songs about the joy of love or love lost are what makes rhythm and blues ring true. In honor of one of the mightiest of emotions, here is a list of a dozen recommended R&B love songs. Not all are famous or have topped the charts, but each conveys a heartfelt message about how sweet love can be.

01
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"Pretty Wings," Maxwell

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In "Pretty Wings," which is off of Maxwell's 2009 album, BLACKsummers'night, he sings about meeting the right woman at the wrong time. In the song, even though he loved her and their time together, he had to allow her to spread her wings and move on.

02
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"So in Love," Jill Scott and Anthony Hamilton

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"So In Love," a fun, romantic duet between Jill Scott and southern soul singer Anthony Hamilton, was the first official single from Scott's "The Light of the Sun" album in 2011.

03
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"Next Breath," Tank

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If you've ever felt like you need someone more than you need oxygen, then you can understand Tank when he sings "Girl, I need you more than my next breath, never would I ever leave you, 'cause darlin' I need you more than the next breath I breathe." Most would agree, any person hearing that from a loved one, is in pretty deep.

04
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"4Evermore," Anthony David and Algebra

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"4Evermore" is a sweet romantic duet that encapsulates what it is like to be in a loving and thriving relationship. "Forever's a mighty long time. But I really wanna spend it with you. I shine when you shine. And there's really no substitute," are the lyrics to the beautifully harmonized chorus.

05
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"Lately," Anita Baker

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This love song from Anita Baker's seventh studio album, "Only Forever," is a tune that should already be familiar to devoted R&B fans. The song is a remake of "Lately," the beautifully lush love song that was originally a hit for model-turned-singer-turned-actor Tyrese Gibson in the late 1990s.

06
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"Tears of Joy," Faith Evans

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Faith Evans' "Tears of Joy," is a soaring reflection on how a good, positive and loving relationship is truly something to be celebrated. Evans draws influence from Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight in this song where she sings, "I'm crying now, but it's not like before. Baby, these are tears of joy."

07
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"To Be Loved," Stacy Barthe

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"To Be Loved" is a warm, mellow tune about how a positive relationship between two people can make a person stronger, both mentally and spiritually. Barthe sings, "You make impossible so possible. With you I feel like I can move mountains, I searched around high and low. You just don't come close to anything I've ever known. There's nothing more I'd rather be than to be loved, loved by you."

08
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"Real Love," Eric Benet

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"Real Love," as the title implies, is an old-fashioned love song's celebration of genuine emotion, as opposed to the fantastical or reality TV kind. As Benet sings in in the song: "In a world full of make-believe, we've got something real girl... I bet everything on you and me."

09
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"Be Without You," Mary J. Blige

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"Be Without You," a chart-topping song, which was released in November 2005, is featured on Blige's "The Breakthrough" album. Among the things that make it so great are the strong sentiments of faith and loyalty expressed as well as the unbelievably strong vocals.

10
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"Crazy Love," Brian McKnight

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The song is sweet, gentle and lulling, it is actually the poetic lyrics that are the highlight. A sample: "I can hear her heartbeat for a thousand miles. And the heavens open up every time she smiles. And when I come home to her that's where I belong. Yet I'm running to her like a river's song." "Crazy Love" was originally written and recorded by rock-pop artist Van Morrison.

11
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"He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)," Jill Scott

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This song from Jill Scott's 2000 debut album, "Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1," is a warmly emotive ode to Scott's first husband, Lyzel. The relationship may not have lasted, but this beautiful, Grammy-nominated song is timeless.