The best sophomore efforts from R&B artists

B’Day is the perfect album title for Beyoncé, especially for an album that was released around her 25th birthday. It took three years after her solo debut album Dangerously In Love to follow up, but it was well worth the wait. Bey teamed up with a number of producers this time around including The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, Swizz Beats, and Ne-Yo, to name a few. Some fan favorites on B’Day include “Upgrade U,” “Déjà Vu,” “Freakum Dress,” and “Irreplaceable.” 

Brandy was only a teenager when she first got into the music industry. So by the time she released her sophomore album Never Say Never, she was flourishing into young adulthood, and she wanted her music to reflect that. Whether that meant tackling topics of infidelity on “The Boy Is Mine,” finding true love on “Have You Ever” or feeling like she can conquer anything on “Top of the World,” the album showcased how much Brandy elevated in her life and sound. Never Say Never reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and it’s still regarded as one of Brandy’s best works. 

By the time Usher released his album My Way, he wanted to show fans more of his growth as an artist and his personality. With production mostly handled by Jermaine Dupri, along with Babyface, the album showed the world that Usher would be taking the R&B world by storm. The album helped establish some of Usher’s classics including “You Make Me Wanna,” “Nice & Slow,” and the essential album single “My Way.” The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and became a multi-platinum success.

Alicia Keys had some pressure to live up to with her album The Diary of Alicia Keys, especially since her debut album was such a massive success. However, Keys continued to rule the charts, the album went Gold during the first week of its release and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Keys kept the piano at the core of her production on tracks like “You Don’t Know My Name,” “Diary,” and “If I Ain’t Got You.” 

Chris Brown saw massive success with his debut album, so people were curious if the would be able to follow up strongly and showcase how he was the next big thing in R&B. On Exclusive, he enlisted a number of hit-making producers including T-Pain, Bryan-Michael Cox, The Underdogs, Sean Garrett, Swizz Beatz, and many more. In pure Brown form, he came out the gate swinging with the club anthem “Wall to Wall,” followed by the dance track “Kiss Kiss.” He also showed more of his maturity on songs like “You” and the fourth single “Take You Down.” 

Just two years after releasing her debut album Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, Aaliyah returned with a more elevated sound on One in a Million. With the majority of the album produced and written by Timbaland and Missy Elliott, Aaliyah also worked with other producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri, and Daryl Simmons. Some of the hit songs include ballads like “4 Page Letter” and “The One I Gave My Heart To” as well as smooth grooves like “Hot Like Fire” and “If Your Girl Only Knew.” 

Just two years after his debut album All I Want Is You, Miguel returned with his sophomore album Kaleidoscope Dream. This time around, Miguel wanted a heavier role on writing and production, and it worked in his favor. Whether he sang about love on songs like “Adorn,” pursued someone he’s interested in on “How Many Drinks,” or reflected on life in “Candles in the Sun,” Kaleidoscope Dream is a prime example of how quality and cohesiveness in one body of work will always win fans over. 

One of the superb things about TLC’s album CrazySexyCool, is how the title not only plays into the members’ personalities, but as a listener, it implies that everyone has a little CrazySexyCool in them too. TLC worked with a number of producers including Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, and Babyface. Whether they sing about pursuing someone on “Kick Your Game” having a late-night rendezvous on “Red Light Special,” or expressing their feelings on “Digging on You,” there’s a song for everyone. 

Some people confuse Jamie Foxx’s Unpredictable album as his debut, but probably because he took 11 years to release it after his first album. Foxx has always been known as a super-talented individual, particularly with acting and comedy, but he has always loved music too. On the album, he worked with some of the biggest producers in the business such as Babyface, Sean Garrett, Timbaland, Polow da Don, and more. Some fan-favorite songs include the eponymous single, “Extravaganza,” and “DJ Play a Love Song.” It only took about three months before the album was certified double platinum.  

Although Destiny’s Child breakout single “No, No, No” had a successful run, any follow-up singles from their debut, self-titled album failed to match it. So the girls went back to the drawing board with their second album The Writing’s on the Wall. This time around, they enlisted different producers and collaborators such as Missy Elliott, Kandi Burruss, Rodney Jerkins, Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs, and several others. The project was in the form of a concept album of the Ten Commandments, however, the commandments were based on love and relationships. Some of the album's hit songs include “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Bug-A-Boo,” and “Say My Name.” 

In a lot of Mary J. Blige’s early discography, she was inspired by soul music of yesteryear which is evident on her sophomore album My Life. She sampled the Mary Jane Girls’ 1983 track “All Night Long” on her song “Mary Jane (All Night Long)," and also sampled Curtis Mayfield’s “You’re So Good To Me” on her track “Be Happy.” However one of her most recognized hits is “My Life” which samples a Roy Ayers track. Blige knows how to relate to her fans on topics of love and life and it’s heard throughout the entire album, as well as the rest of her discography. 

Jodeci set a blueprint that other boy bands followed, between the vocal styles to their fashion sense. Their sound and image elevated on their sophomore album Diary of a Mad Band. The album spawned three singles including “What About Us,” “Feenin’” and “Cry For You.” 

By the time Keyshia Cole released her album Just Like You, she was showing the world just why she should be one of R&B’s next “it girls.” She worked with some of the biggest songwriters and producers including Scott Storch, Bryan-Michael Cox, Rodney Jerkins, Missy Elliott, Pete Rock, and many more. Cole made sure to touch on topics of love and life, it’s heard on songs like “Let It Go,” “I Remember,” “Fallin' Out,” and “Heaven Sent.” 

D’Angelo is the type of artist who takes years of hiatus in between each album. It took the neo-soul singer six years to release his sophomore album Voodoo. D’Angelo took the reins on producing the majority of the album with a couple tracks co-produced by DJ Premier and Raphael Saadiq. With any D’Angelo album, he always makes sure that it’s a smooth listen for fans, the type of music audiences would love to hear at a lounge or juke joint. Some fan favorites include “Send It On” and “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” 

When Bobby Brown broke away from New Edition, he wanted to showcase his growth as an artist. Working with the likes of Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Teddy Riley on his Don’t Be Cruel album allowed him to do just that. Brown gave fans smooth ballads like “Roni” and “Rock Wit’cha” along with dance-heavy tracks like “Every Little Step” and “My Prerogative.” The album stayed No. 1 for six weeks on the Billboard 200. 

One of the cool things about Erykah Badu’s artistry is how much she combines neo-soul with jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, and it’s evident on her album Mama’s Gun. J Dilla produced her single “Didn’t Cha Know?” which features a jazz sample of Tarika Blue’s “Dreamflower.” While album’s hit single “Bag Lady” beams with Badu's piercing vocal tone that draws listeners in. 

Donell Jones gives fans everything they could possibly want on an R&B album with Where I Wanna Be. It starts with the opening track and club anthem “U Know What’s Up,” a funky sample on “When I Was Down,” to his thoughts on love on tracks like “Shorty (Got Her Eyes On Me)” and the somewhat controversial take on “Where I Wanna Be.” Jones’ vocals are pristine as he sits in the perfect pocket for fans to hold on to his every word. 

In 2002, neo-soul singer Musiq Soulchild released his critically-acclaimed album Juslisen. He knows how to bring mellow vibes on tracks like “Newness,” “Previouscats” and Stoplayin,” but he also brings love ballads on tracks like “Halfcrazy” and “Dontchange.” He earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.

Jagged Edge’s sophomore album J.E. Heartbreak is the perfect title for a project that highlighted the highs and lows of relationships. Thanks to frequent collaborators Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, Jagged Edge were able to tackle topics of reassuring your partner on songs like “Promise,” being ready to settle down on “Let’s Get Married,” and convincing a potential partner that they deserve better on “He Can’t Love U.” 

When Ciara came on to the scene, she was known as the First Lady of Crunk&B, and she made sure to elevate her R&B sound with her second album, properly titled The Evolution. She kept the Atlanta crunk sound on the Chamillionaire-assisted single “Get Up," as well as the smooth track “Like a Boy.” However, she also made sure to give fans a few love ballads like “Promise” and “My Love.” 

When Diddy was building his Bad Boy Records roster, he added quartet 112 to the list. The group's sophomore album Room 112 featured hit singles like the Mase-assisted track "Love Me" and "Anywhere." The album was perfect to show the different vocal tones of each member and their mastery of harmonizing. 

Timbaland not only elevated his sound as a producer in the ‘90s, but he also helped craft some of music’s best sophomore albums, including Ginuwine’s second project 100% Ginuwine. The singer wanted to showcase his authenticity on songs like “Same Ol’ G,” his erotic side on “So Anxious,” and dealing with unwanted calls on “Final Warning.” 100% Ginuwine peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. 

Tony! Toni! Toné! has always been the type of group who knows how to combine elements of R&B, soul, and funk, while keeping their sound current. Their single “Feels Good” mirrors the New Jack Swing sound. They also had some listeners fooled in thinking that California doesn’t see rainy days on their song “It Never Rains (In Southern California).” They also made the perfect track for people want to show their romantic side on “Whatever You Want.” 

Something that always made Boyz II Men stand out is their harmonies as a group. On their second album II, they made sure to showcase their vocals and it helped show why they’re one of the best-selling groups of all time. They enlisted a number of producers including Dallas Austin, Babyface, Tim & Bob, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. They showcase how much they want to romance their partners on songs like “I’ll Make Love To You,” as well as how apologetic they are on the hit single “On Bended Knee."

In 2009, The-Dream released his critically-acclaimed album Love vs. Money, which many of the songs played into the title's topics. He had singles like “Rockin' that S**t,” “My Love,” and “Sweat It Out.” For an album that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, it's no wonder The-Dream self-proclaimed himself as the "Radio Killa."