Save the Day: 10 R&B Artists We Need New Albums From in 2026

Stevie Wonder has released several hot singles over the past few years. However, he has not released a full studio album since 2006 (Photo Credit: Regal Media Group, LLC/Todd A. Smith).

Generation X and Millennials are not the only age groups complaining about the lack of real R&B music in the modern era.

One must only watch a few music reaction videos on YouTube to find young women, born after the new millennium, who swoon over the balladeers from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Many of those same women complain that the men of younger generations do not even know how to talk or court women.

And if they had a man sing to them like Lenny Williams sang “Cause I Love You” to his woman or Prince sang “Do Me Baby” to his woman, it would be all over with.

Because of a lack of real love songs, a new generation shoots their shot on Instagram.

Many of them do not know what a real date should look like.

And others do not even know what real love looks like or feels like.

Many youngsters can recognize a baddie.

However, they are bad at recognize a bad relationship as opposed to real love.

There was a day when singers did not call women B’s and H’s in their music.

Those days seem a distant memory.

But there are enough R&B legends still around to give young men some game and hopefully save the R&B game from whatever is going on right now in the genre.

1. Maxwell—It seems like a lifetime has passed since Maxwell said he would release a trilogy of albums (abbreviated as “Black,” “Summers” and Night”). His fans have received the first two in 2009 and 2016, respectively. Fans have gotten a few singles here and there too. But that “Night” album remains elusive. We know Maxwell is a perfectionist. But all his released music has been perfect or near perfect. So, it is hard to believe that his unreleased music is not up to that standard too.
2. D’Angelo—When neo-soul pioneer D’Angelo transitioned, Questlove hinted that a new album was near completion. The famed drummer from The Roots said that fans can expect music that combines the old with the new, creating a new sound, in an as-of-yet unnamed album. He said that the posthumous album would have Prince “Dirty Mind” vibes and depart from his tradition neo-soul sound.
3. New Edition—”The New Edition Way” tour takes flight in early 2026. Can fans finally get a new album by the supergroup too? Furthermore, N.E. fans are still waiting for the soundtrack to Michael Bivins’ old documentary. We need that too Biv! (*After the publication of this article, New Edition teased a new song entitled “We Outside Tonight” via social media).
4. Stevie Wonder—Since 2020, Stevie Wonder has teased his fans with single releases. But we need an entire project from one of the most talented musical geniuses of the 20^th and 21^st He has talked about doing an R&B album and a gospel album inspired by his late mother. Stevie, can we have both, please? The game desperately needs you.
5. Jodeci—The R&B bad boys from North Carolina are giving their fans a tour in early 2026. Can they also give them a new album too? Very few vocal groups can compete with the sounds of K-Ci and JoJo. Very few songwriters and producers can create the classics that DeVante Swing gave us throughout the 1990s. We just need that 90s magic in the 21^st Even ladies not born in the 1990s have fallen in love with that real R&B. And they want that sound and subject matter for their generation.
6. Boyz II Men—Michael Bivins discovered Boyz II Men. The group was named after the New Edition song “Boys to Men.” Now, the trio from Philadelphia is joining their mentors on “The New Edition Way” tour. It would be a blessing to get some new music from them too. We love jamming “Let it Snow” every holiday season. But hopefully, all of 2026 will be the season of a true R&B renaissance.
7. Anderson .Paak—Sure, Anderson .Paak cannot be confined to one genre music. And although he is a great rapper and drummer, the music business desperately needs some of that pure R&B that this brother can deliver. When he teamed up with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic, we got a glimpse of the glory days R&B. Now, we just need more of the same on a solo album.
8. The Jacksons—The brothers from Gary, Ind. have been working on new music since at least 2009. Since they began working on tracks, documented on the reality series “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty,” we have lost Michael Jackson and Tito Jackson. The new studio album is supposedly complete. A perfect time to release it will be leading up to the “Michael” biopic, accompanied by their planned docuseries.
9. Prince—The musical genius born Prince Rogers Nelson has so many songs in the vault that his estate must release super deluxe versions of his classic albums to get those songs to the fans without it taking 100 years. However, Prince had several completed unreleased albums like an album by his first backing band The Rebels, a project from his jazz group The Flesh and the band Flash that has never gotten a proper lease. The year 2026 would be a perfect time to release some of them.
10. Lauryn Hill—We saved Ms. Lauryn Hill for last because if she has a planned album for 2026, it probably will not show up on streaming services and digital service providers until 2036. Just playing, legend. We know you are never that late. But that follow-up to “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” seems eternally delayed. Let’s fix that ASAP!