The 100 Best R&B Songs of 2023, Presented By YouKnowIGotSoul X Soul In Stereo

Eleven years running! We’re more consistent than your favorite R&B artist!

Yes, for more than a decade, Soul In Stereo has been teaming with our good friends over at YouKnowIGotSoul.com for a rundown of the year’s best R&B songs.

The format is simple – Tom and Kyle of YouKnowIGotSoul.com, and yours truly of SoulInStereo.com submitted our 40 picks for the year’s best, combined the lists, ranked them and built this mega review of 2023.

If you ask me, 2023 was much stronger year for R&B that previous years. Certainly no 1993 or 2003 – not even 2013 – but there were plenty of great songs from high-profile artists, as well as hidden gems from emerging singers. Things may be looking up!

And because I know y’all, YES, we have a playlist of all songs included below.

Check out our top 100 and share your favorites too!

1) Kevin Ross – Look My Way

2) Victoria Monet – Good Bye

3) Victoria Monet – How Does It Make You Feel

4) Beyonce – Cuff It (Wetter Remix)

5) Chris Brown – Moonlight

6) Omarion – Serious

7) Usher – Good Good (featuring Summer Walker & 21 Savage)

8) Victoria Monet – On My Mama

9) Musiq Soulchild – Your Love is Life

10) Musiq Soulchild – I Remember You My Ex

11) LAYA – Need 2 Know

12) Usher – GLU

13) Lucky Daye – That’s You

14) Avery Wilson – Kiss the Sky

15) Muni Long – Made For Me

16) SZA – Snooze

17) FLO – Fly Girl (featuring Missy Elliott)

18) Alex Vaughn – IYKYK (featuring Muni Long)

19) FLO – Change

20) LAYA – F’ed Up

21) Musiq Soulchild – Between Love & War

22) Diddy – I Like (featuring Mary J. Blige)

23) Kiana Lede – Same Type

24) The Shindellas – Last Night Was Good For My Soul

25) Kenyon Dixon – 2000’s R&B (featuring RL)

26) Queen Naija – Self Love

27) Leela James – Good on Me

28) Musiq Soulchild – Victims & Villains

29) Jon B. – Waiting On You (featuring Tank)

30) Tori Kelly – Missin U (R&B Edit)

31) Kevin Ross – Show & Prove

32) Raheem DeVaughn – All Night

33) The Shindellas – Juicy

34) Tyrese – Don’t Think You Ever Loved Me

35) Ciara – How We Roll (featuring Chris Brown)

36) Ledisi – I Need To Know

37) Mahalia – Cheat (featuring JoJo)

38) Jai’Len Josey – Good Soup

39) IAmChelseaIAm – Nano

40) Usher – Risk It All (featuring H.E.R.)

41) Vedo – Celebrate

42) Maeta – Control Freak (featuring Ambre)

43) Snoh Aalegra – Sweet Tea

44) The Amours – Before I Met You

45) Louis York – Alone A Lot (featuring Anthony Hamilton)

46) J. Brown – My Whole Heart

47) Kimberly Brewer – Don’t Make Me Wait Too Long (featuring Joe & Stevie Wonder)

48) Tone Stith – Lonely

49) Jai’Len Josey – Southern Delicacy

50) Musiq Soulchild – Is It Love Is It Lies

51) Musiq Soulchild – We Were Just Binging

52) Mary J. Blige – Still Believe in Love (featuring Vado)

53) The Shindellas – Somethin That I Wanna Say

54) Victoria Monet – Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem)

55) Hailey Kilgore – Three

56) Goapele – Complicated

57) Diddy – Closer to God (featuring Teyana Taylor)

58) Goapele – Ojai

59) Sidibe – All Your Love Inside

60) Goapele – Time Heals

61) Keke Wyatt – Water Into Wine

62) SZA – Too Late

63) Tyla – Water

64) Wanmor – Must Be Love

65) Babyface – Sometimes (featuring Genevieve)

66) Chris Brown – Stutter

67) Chloe – How Does It Feel (featuring Chris Brown)

68) K. Michelle – Blame Yourself

69) Kenyon Dixon – “98 Vibes (Do You Right)” (featuring Tiffany Gouche)

70) Sabrina Claudio – Homegirl

71) Lalah Hathaway – The Energy

72) Jeff Bradshaw – Make Some Time (featuring Eric Roberson)

73) Angie Stone – The Gym (featuring Musiq Soulchild)

74) Tanya Nolan – Pace Yourself (featuring Raheem DeVaughn)

75) NxWorries – Daydreaming

76) Raheem DeVaughn – Love Around the Clock (featuring Goapele)

77) Ella Mai – Our Song

78) Janelle Monae – A Dry Red

79) Noel Gourdin – Getcha

80) Ari Lennox – Get Close

81) Timbaland – My Way (featuring Anna Margo)

82) Jesse Boykins III – Kind and Nasty

83) Mahalia – Isn’t It Strange

84) Ruben Studdard – Masterpiece

85) Eric Roberson – Things Meant For Me

86) Musiq Soulchild – Beat of a Slow Dance

87) Tyrese – Love Transaction

88) H.E.R. – The Journey

89) Victoria Monet – Party Girls (featuring Buju Banton)

90) Jacquees – Pick It Up (featuring Jermaine Dupri)

91) Kiana Lede – LMK

92) Daniel Caesar – Homisexual (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)

93) PJ Morton – Good Morning (featuring Susan Carol)

94) BJ the Chicago Kid – Liquor Store in the Sky (featuring Freddie Gibbs)

95) Chloe – Worried

96) BJ the Chicago Kid – Spend the Night (featuring Coco Jones)

97) Amber Navran – Away from the Noise

98) Babyface – As a Matter of Fact

99) Shawn Stockman – I’ll Be On My Way

100) Brent Faiyez – Moment of your Life (featuring Coco Jones)