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R& B and Soul Throwbacks You Need To Add To Your Playlist

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hampton U chapter.

I don’t know about you, but I love an excellent R&B throwback. There’s just a certain amount of soul and emotion in them that I don’t always get in today’s R&B, so being put on to older songs and playing them on repeat like they’re the hottest new singles is one of my favorite experiences. If you can appreciate this too, here’s a list of R&B throwbacks you might like to add to your playlist.

Beautiful Surprise By India.Arie

If you want to know what it’s like to be in love or if you’re in love and want to find the music you can relate to, India. Arie has something for you. Beautiful Surprise is a lovely song about the experience of meeting someone and them being nothing you expected but everything you could’ve ever wanted. So to all my love birds and friends, this one’s for you.

Infatuation By Jamie Foxx

I love this song because it captures an experience many of us go through- recognizing the difference between loving/ liking someone versus loving or enjoying their idea. Also, it is worth mentioning that this song is so beautifully sung. This song is one you can just sit in and vibe to.

Where I Stand By Ashanti

Have you ever started talking to someone and ended up falling in love with them before actually being in a relationship? Yeah…me neither. But you feel like it’s okay because you all are moving so quickly that you know a relationship is inevitable until months pass, and you realize that nothing has progressed but your feelings. This song would be one I’d sing my heart out to if I had ever been in that situation, though. 

Seems So Long By Stevie Wonder

Are you trying to get back out there after a heartbreak? This is a song you can relate to, and it can give you a little hope in finding new love, even after it has been such a long time.

The Title By Ciara

This song is for those of us who may be ready to take things to the next level with a new boo or have found ourselves residing in the talking stage. Message aside, it’s something you vibe to anywhere or scream to the top of your lungs in the car. This song feels like you’ve been taken back to the early 2000s.

You Make Me Feel Brand New By The Stylistics

There is nothing like a 70s love song. Even though the music is not about anyone from this generation, it still feels like it was made just for you. This would surely be one to add to your wedding playlist because nothing would beat dancing to this song with your significant other at your wedding.

Free By Deniece Williams

Some songs are sung so beautifully that it can make you forget to listen to the lyrics, and Free by Deniece Williams is one of them. Going back and listening to the lyrics makes the song even more beautiful. The song is about just what the title says, being “free” in whatever way that means for you.

Throwbacks are always a vibe. It never hurts to go back and revisit or discover songs, and it can be pretty relaxing. Some more pieces to take the time and listen to are Hey Girl by Donny Hathaway, Trust In Me by Etta James, and Sending My Love by Zhané. Happy listening!

Kierstyn Chambers is a first year English Education Major, from Birmingham, Alabama. She enjoys helping people and making the people around her happy. She plans to become a teacher and try to help low income school systems. She also loves movies and poetry.