George Michael released “Faith” in 1987.
Black artists created R&B and soul music and have dominated the charts since the beginning.
In fact, Black musicians played a role in the creation of many genres of music like country and western.
Nevertheless, some White brothers and sisters have done their part to contribute to the culture too.
R&B fans did not even know some artists where White until their second or third albums.
However, soul is soul, funk is funk and talent is talent regardless of skin color.
Therefore, RegalMag.com chose to take a trip down memory lane by honoring the top 10 blue-eyed soul albums of all time.
As always, tell Regal what it got right and what it got totally wrong!
- “Affection” by Lisa Stansfield—1980s R&B had somewhat of its own British invasion to counter the British rock invasion of the 1960s. Lisa Stansfield stood at the forefront of that movement with the timeless single, “All Around the World.” The track received renewed attention almost a decade after its release when Puff Daddy reinterpreted the song with his single “Been Around the World” featuring Mase and The Notorious B.I.G. Stansfield’s 1989 album also featured the single, “You Can’t Deny It.”
- “Star Child” by Teena Marie—In a year that featured hit albums from Prince, Tina Turner and New Edition, Teena Marie still did not have a hard time standing out in the crowd. How could she with that golden voice? On her 1984 album “Star Child,” the former singing mate of Rick James knocked it out of the park with hit singles like “Lovergirl,” “Out on a Limb,” “We’ve Got to Stop (Meeting Like This)” with Ronnie McNeir and the Marvin Gaye tribute, “My Dear Mr. Gaye.”
- “Face Value” by Phil Collins—Sure, “Face Value” is often listed as a rock album. But only haters would deny the soul and R&B feel of Phil Collins’ music. The song “In the Air Tonight” is probably one of the most popular songs of the 1980s. However, Mike Tyson almost ruined its greatness with his horrendous rendition in the movie “The Hangover.” Let’s hope Tyson does not read this article because no one at Regal wants any smoke with the champ. “Face Value” had other hits too like “I Missed Again,” “If Leaving Me is Easy” and “Thunder and Lightning.”
- “What You Won’t Do for Love” by Bobby Caldwell—In the 1950s and 1960s, record companies often would not put images of Black artists on album covers because they did not want to upset their White consumer base. The same thing happened for White artists who tried their hand at “Black music.” When Bobby Caldwell released the album “What You Won’t Do for Love,” a silhouette of the singer with his trademark fedora appeared on the album cover so that people would appreciate the music before seeing who the artist was. Regardless, fans saw talent. Therefore, the title track became one of the most popular and sampled songs of the late 20th century. 2Pac released a posthumous hit with “Do for Love,” which sampled the title cut.
- “If That’s What it Takes” by Michael McDonald—In the 1980s, Teena Marie held it down for the ladies of blue-eyed soul. Likewise, Michael McDonald did his thing for the fellas. His 1982 album featured the timeless hit “I Keep Forgettin (Every Time You’re Near),” which Warren G and Nate Dogg took and made another timeless classic with “Regulate” in 1994. The album also featured “I Gotta Try” and “I Can Let Go Now.”
- “Cool Relax” by Jon B.—After Marie and McDonald’s popularity began to wane towards the mid to late 1990s, the lane that they occupied needed someone else to take the driver’s seat. With some assists from Babyface, Jon B. became the one. Jon B was also one of the rare artists who did better with their sophomore album than their debut album. In 1997, Jon B. released “Cool Relax.” The classic album featured jams like “Don’t Say,” “The Don’t Know,” “I Do (Whatcha Say Boo)” and “Are You Still Down” featuring 2Pac who passed away one year prior to the album’s release.
- “The Evolution of Robin Thicke” by Robin Thicke—Robin Thicke has made an indelible mark on R&B music over the last 15 years. But his first album was a certified dud. However, when he linked up with Pharrell Williams for his second album “The Evolution of Robin Thicke,” the son of actor Alan Thicke hit paydirt. All it takes is one classic record to change an artist’s life. And Thicke got that with the timeless hit “Lost Without You.” But Thicke was not a one-hit wonder. He had more bangers like “Can You Believe,” “Wanna Love You Girl” with Williams, “Oh Shooter” with Lil Wayne and “Got 2 Be Down” featuring Faith Evans.
- “The 20/20 Experience” by Justin Timberlake—Pop star Justin Timberlake has lost his mojo over the last few years, especially after the release of his fifth album “Man of the Woods” in 2018. However, 11 years ago he could not miss. With the first installment of “The 20/20 Experience,” Timberlake had clearly become a megastar thanks to hits like “Mirrors,” “Tunnel Vision” and “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z.
- “Future Sex/Love Sounds” by Justin Timberlake—The Memphis, Tenn. native released his magnum opus with his sophomore album “Future Sex/Love Sounds” in 2006. In 2002, Timberlake surprised the world with his debut solo album, “Justified.” That effort made it apparent that a boy band (NSYNC) could not contain his talents. And his second album made it clear that he had just begun to showcase his immense skills. The album featured the anthem “SexyBack,” “My Love” featuring rapper T.I. and “What Goes Around…Comes Around.”
- “Faith” by George Michael—Some albums are just so good that they do not need description. Albums like “Faith” only need a track list filled with hit songs. On “Faith,” the former Wham! lead singer had classics like the title cut, “Father Figure,” “I Want Your Sex,” “Monkey,” “One More Try” and “Kissing a Fool.” And anyone not jamming this album 1987 might have been a fool because it was that good.
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