“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like.”
– Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (1995)
Readers who have enjoyed our interviews from time to time know that we typically ask artists to share their five favorite albums of all time at the end of our conversations with them. No matter who the artist is, it’s always fascinating to discover which long players have impacted their personal and professional lives. A few of our interview subjects have even scoffed at the standard five-album limit, rattling off upwards of a dozen or so titles and second-guessing if they’ve made the right choices.
And now, we’re excited to reveal our writers’ respective lists of their 25 all-time favorite albums. We all reserve the right to change our minds about these choices in the future, but for now, here are the indispensable albums that we can’t live without and the reasons why.
Explore Mark Chappelle’s 25 favorites below, click the “Next” button to browse the lists or return to the main index.
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Anita Baker
Rapture
Elektra (1986)
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With eight tunes in thirty-seven minutes, Anita Baker set a standard in R&B music and imprinted American Black culture forever. So many have the same story about her major label debut Rapture: they all cleaned the house on Saturday while their mothers listened to this GRAMMY-winning pinnacle, and passed the tradition on. Now, when Baker performs live, the entire venue sings “No One in the World”—ad libs included. The same could apply to “Sweet Love,” “Caught Up in the Rapture,” or “Been So Long.” Rapture is a cultural institution.
Beyoncé
Renaissance
Parkwood/Columbia (2022)
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Prior to Renaissance, my Beyoncé appreciation was confined to singles and scattered album tracks across her output. But this record in its entirety is a cohesive, cardio-assisted journey through both Black and queer history. Highlighting both feted and obscured contributors to the tradition of dance music, Beyoncé captured the public’s attention for months unbroken. Where my initial review could barely contain its expanse, history will show this to be one of her single most important works in an already storied career.
James Blake
Overgrown
Atlas/Republic/Polydor (2013)
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Truthfully, there isn’t one James Blake album that really encapsulates what I love about him. Overgrown is the closest representation of his ability to deconstruct and rematerialize himself sonically and vocally. You find variants of his emblematic voice hovering over soulful Roberta Flack-esque piano ballads (“Our Love Comes Back,” “DLM”), standing a step from hip-hop (“Take a Fall for Me,” “Life Round Here”), visited—or rather interrupted—by shards of electronica (“Retrograde,” “Digital Lion,” “Voyeur”). Sometimes it’s a palate cleanser, other times an eviscerator. Either way, I pay attention.
The Brand New Heavies
Brother Sister
Delicious Vinyl (1994)
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The Brand New Heavies change vocalists every other album, but they were at their most white-hot while fronted by the charismatic N’Dea Davenport. She and the band had a synergy that was hard to match on songs like “Dream On Dreamer,” “Brother Sister,” “Keep Together,” and “Fake.” They were central figures of the acid jazz movement and this record was the pinnacle of that sound.
Brandy
Human
Epic (2008)
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This underappreciated album is chock-full of Brandy’s trademark contrapuntal melodies and tiramisu layers of intricate vocals folded over songs of love and triumph, heartache, and contrition. Sadly, internal discord at Epic Records allowed Human to fall through the cracks while a fickle fan base of R&B listeners rejected its heavily pop production. Nonetheless, “Torn Down,” “Camouflage,” “Warm It Up (With Love),” and “A Capella (Something’s Missing)” are wildly enjoyable and demand repeat play.
Common
The Dreamer/The Believer
Think Common/Warner (2011)
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Having been a beyond-competent lyricist for over a decade, Common nearly forms a supergroup on The Dreamer/The Believer by employing the beats of No I.D. and songcraft of James Fauntleroy and Makeba Riddick throughout. On notables like “Gold,” “Cloth,” “Celebrate,” and the ELO-sampling “Blue Sky,” the hooks stay in your mind long after the tracks cut off. And did I mention that American poet laureate Maya Angelou dropped a verse on “The Dreamer” that can make you levitate?
N’Dea Davenport
N’Dea Davenport
V2 (1998)
“With no men to defer to,” I gleefully wrote of N’Dea Davenport’s eponymous and lone solo album to date. “She could shape an eclectic blend of alternative soul, folk rock, and electronica that truly represented her.” After nearly a decade putting this off in favor of fronting UK band The Brand New Heavies, Davenport finally asserted herself and the results were magnificent. Whether reinterpreting Nancy Wilson as blues (“Save Your Love for Me”), spinning prostitution as a bedtime story (“When the Night Falls”), or caping for climate change over drum-n-bass (“Oh Mother Earth (Embrace)”), Davenport put her best foot forward and that shoe still shines.
[Note: N’Dea Davenport is not currently available in authorized form via major streaming platforms.]
Lucky Daye
Painted (Deluxe Edition)
Keep Cool/RCA (2020)
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Before Lucky Daye debuted, I had lost hope in new artists until his fresh take on old-school-meets-new set my ear alight. With the capable help of producer D’Mile, track after track from Painted (2019) restored my faith in the future of R&B. From the dimensional joy ride “Late Night,” to the poetry-capped syncopation of “Extra,” musical merry-go-round that is “Karma,” Prince-ly funker “Paint It,” and alcohol-soaked “Floods,” Lucky came to save the Daye. The reissue sweetened the pot, adding Victoria Monet duet “Little More Time,” moody soundtrack inclusion “Fade Away,” and the Babyface-assisted Toni Braxton update “Shoulda.”
Earthsuit
Kaleidoscope Superior
Sparrow (2000)
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Upon first previewing the fusion of rock, reggae, and hip-hop on Kaleidoscope Superior, I couldn’t rush the CD up to the cash register fast enough. Earthsuit was a band of musicians whose divergent musical influences made for an extremely tight, 10-song album that felt like a window into another world. For a quick survey, take a listen to the psychedelic spiritual “Whitehorse” or their Regatta De Blanc-inspired “Sky Flashings.”
Lalah Hathaway
Self Portrait
Stax (2008)
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Lalah Hathaway was 18 years into her discography before delivering her magnum opus. With grounding anthems like “Breathe,” “Let Go,” “That Was Then,” and the famously Kendrick Lamar-sampled “On Your Own,” few other entries in her canon capture the reassurance of her warm, nimble alto and its jazz-enriched soul. One can simply lean against the speaker and let its vibrations bring harmony to the body; healing is in the very frequencies of Self Portrait.
Lauryn Hill
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0
Sparrow (2002)
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While Miseducation crammed awards into Lauryn Hill’s arms, nothing moved me like its disarmingly raw follow-up MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. This double-disc array of spiritually cryptic, socio-political originals hit me like a Sunday sermon. As she cracks notes, cries, forgets lyrics, breaks the fourth wall, and edits none of it out of “Oh Jerusalem,” “I Find It Hard to Say (Rebel),” and “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind,” it shook me out of my own perfectionism. That feat was upstaged only by interludes where Hill details the introspection that informed her compositions. Was it folk therapy? A reggae troubadour TED Talk? I couldn’t define it, but I can’t imagine never experiencing it.
Janet Jackson
The Velvet Rope
Virgin (1997)
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Once artists become this big, it can be a challenge to still find things to say that are important. But here, Janet used her musical moment to broach topics like self-esteem, mental health, homophobia, racial identity, and domestic violence, while still finding time for titillating explorations of fringe sexuality in between. After all this time, creative wins like “Empty,” “Free Xone,” “Got ‘Til It’s Gone,” and “Special” still hold their value, making The Velvet Rope a classic album.
Michael Jackson
HIStory Continues
Epic/MJJ (1995)
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Usually when media-embattled pop stars try clapping back at the cameras and critics that decry them, you get whiny, limp songs that are anything but fun to listen to. HIStory, however, found a charged-up MJ delivering sizzling but danceable eff-yous on “Money,” “2 Bad,” “Scream,” and “Tabloid Junkie,” while not failing to offer spectacular pathos on “Smile” and “Stranger In Moscow.” Critics had mixed reactions back then, but in 2020, multiple Black Lives Matter protests employed “They Don’t Care About Us” as a rallying cry. Simply put, Angry Mike is some good Mike.
Jars of Clay
Who We Are Instead
Essential (2003)
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This alternative band developed far past their grunge-adjacent smash “Flood” once they started producing their own albums. Who We Are Instead is a guitar-forward array of both melancholy meditations (“Jealous Kind,” “Lesser Things,” and their cover of America’s “Lonely People”) along with good-time revelries (“Sunny Days,” “Show You Love,” “I'm In The Way”). There’s a touch of country here and a hip-hop breakbeat there, but the introspective warmth of their tone and genuineness in their lyrics remain constant the whole way through.
Chaka Khan
What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me
Warner Bros. (1981)
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The early ‘80s were an imperial period for Chaka Khan and What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me was its most flawless gem. The way her voice trades its mourning back and forth between howling guitars on “Father He Said” wis breathtaking. “And The Melody Lingers On (Night in Tunisia)” earned her dual citizenship to travel about the jazz world as she pleased. “I Know You, I Live You” gave everyone a good excuse to wind their hips and shake imaginary maracas, and the title track was a #1 R&B hit. The project is simply her most satisfying 42 minutes with no tracks to be skipped at all.
Emily King
The Switch (Deluxe Edition)
Making Music (2016)
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It’s hard to follow up a bouquet of songs as sweet and intoxicating as The Seven EP, but The Switch takes that sound and expands it. “Distance” picks up where Seven left off, waxing poetic about balance in a relationship where two lovers want to miss each other again. From there, you find bouncier tracks like “Focus,” “The Switch,” and “Believer,” amidst the folksy “For Them” and “Already There,” and the efficiently cinematic climax of “Off Center.” The Switch sets a mood to revisit over and over again.
Amel Larrieux
Infinite Possibilities
550 Music/Epic (2000)
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This musically elevated solo debut was a necessary evolution away from former group Groove Theory, into neo-soul and beyond. She weaved plush layers of vocals on “I N I” and “Infinite Possibilities,” frolicked in the watery bass harmonics of “Weather,” and made an enticing excursion into jazz and jungle on “Down.” In total, Infinite Possibilities thumps the cardboard top off of R&B’s box and lets Larrieux’s cool blue essence expand upward to carry the listener with it.
Crystal Lewis
Fearless
Metro 1 Music/GospoCentric/Interscope (2000)
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The effortless soul of Crystal Lewis was CCM’s best kept secret for years, but someone should have snitched on her long ago. That ginormous voice emanating from her tiny frame on the Kirk Franklin-penned “I Still Believe” induces chills, while a foreboding marine murmur in “Reach Out” eventually gives way to a dramatic and radio-friendly opener. Her voice was more than the Christian market knew what to do with, but the deservedly GRAMMY-nominated Fearless did it ample justice.
Joni Mitchell
Hejira
Asylum (1976)
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If a relationship has ever made you want to just get in your car and drive until the gas runs out, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira is for you. During a cross-country car trip, she turned observations into stunningly potent still-life exhibits masquerading as songs. A wanderer myself, I often use a line from the title track (“a defector from the petty wars that shell-shock love away”) as a social media bio. “Coyote” captures the thrill of the chase. “Amelia” describes the experience of repeated heartbreak from so many angles; I feel seen. In Mitchell’s oeuvre, Hejira is unmatched.
Mutemath
Armistice
Warner (2009)
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Until their dissolution, alternative rock band Mutemath were a musical hybrid of Radiohead, The Police, and Björk, filtered through the rich and grimy cultural sieve of New Orleans. They slosh, bang, and jangle their way through “Backfire,” “Burden,” and the Twilight soundtrack standout “Spotlight,” to mention a few highlights in an exhilarating trove of dark and savory songs.
Prince
1999
Warner Bros. (1982)
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At three-years-old, I was already transfixed by the phenomenon of Prince; the close-up image of his eye on the labels of his double-LP 1999 hypnotized me as they revolved around the turntable. And that’s independent of its inescapable hits “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” and “Delirious” that playing constantly on radio. The remainder of its expanse included funky chunks like “D.M.S.R.,” “Lady Cab Driver,” and the dramatic, near-traumatic “Something in the Water (Does Not Compute).” Decades later, I still spin right along with the eye.
Nicki Richards
Naked (To The World)
Atlantic (1991)
Powerhouse singer, musician, songwriter, and entrancing beauty Nicki Richards landed her deal at Atlantic Records after a grand prize win on Star Search. Her impressive debut opens with its titular Prince-sampling lead single “Naked,” at once hard-hitting, mysteriously sexy, feminist, and defiant. Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze” became an international club hit for her with the help of elegant Frankie Knuckles remixes. And her voice absolutely soars on the self-penned R&B torch song “What Happened To Us,” and an expert reading of The Isley Brothers’ “Voyage To Atlantis” that captivates from start to finish.
[Note: Naked (To The World) is not currently available in authorized form via major streaming platforms.]
Sade
Stronger Than Pride
Epic (1988)
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Minimalism is Helen Folasade Adu’s superpower. The spaces between her words imbue them with an encyclopedia of importance. They also allow the band members of Sade to shine through and establish equal importance to that of their blindingly beautiful lead singer. The group established a new creative best when they released Stronger Than Pride with enduring delights like “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” “Paradise,” and “Keep Looking” lining both sides of the LP.
Sy Smith
Until We Meet Again
FE Music (2024)
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Previously, I said indie singer Sy Smith’s voice could sit coyly and wink at you from across the room, or multiply and attack like a band of pixie pirates. That acumen finds new depth on Until We Meet Again. This first full-length release under the auspices of The Foreign Exchange matches her sharp songwriting with a robust combination of Philadelphia soul, Brazilian rhythm, and jazz sophistication. Though “Remember How to Fly,” “Masterclass,” and “Why Do You Keep Calling Me” standout, the full LP has a momentous quality. As established in my review and interview, Until We Meet Again is immediate, cathartic, authentic, and most of all, essential.
We Are King
We Are King
King Creative (2016)
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Their debut EP The Story made fans of everyone from Erykah Badu to the purple one himself, Prince. The latter loved these women so much that he personally bankrolled the recording of their GRAMMY-nominated masterwork of dreamy, psychedelic soul. We Are King is paradise viewed through a sonic kaleidoscope. It’s easier to just listen to “The Greatest” and “The Right One” in headphones than to encapsulate in words the pleasures it gives.