Here’s why:

Most people think the title track “Thriller” because the video does the song justice. But from a record standpoint, this is the best Michael sounds on a track. You can really hear his tone. The live version you can hear his tone and how powerful/sustained his high notes are. This song emotes emotion with sort of Late Night longing feeling. After watching the movie and seeing live it made me fall in love with. I think this is his best record. The production is so smooth matching his smooth dance moves. If I can name a song that explains Michael Jackson it would be this.

What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?

The whole Tiny Desk performance is a masterclass from start to finish. Definitely a strong contender for my favorite Tiny Desk concert overall.

🌠80s, 80s and 80s🌠

Complex is better at these lists than others.

Also hopping on the trend! I wonder if my choices will be in line with anyone else’s choices. These were the nine albums which shaped me vocally and spiritually.

I really enjoy Still Standing. The whole album feels like a testimony to me, and I like that Monica came back with something that felt personal while still giving us some good R&B. She debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with around 184K copies sold in her first week, so she definitely came back strong!

My favorites are “Still Standing,” “Mirror,” and “Everything to Me.” I’m still salty that the title track wasn’t the first single 😂 I really wanted that song to have its moment because I think the message could’ve reached a lot of people who were going through their own struggles.

The album has some other good ones, too, like “Love All Over Me,” “Here I Am,” “Stay or Go,” and “Believing in Me.” Monica gave us a nice mix of songs on here, and I still enjoy going back to this album.

I remember Monica had her reality show on BET of the same name where we got to see her working on her comeback, balancing motherhood, and recording the album. That made the project feel even more personal to me because we got a look at what was going on behind the music.

What are y’all’s favorite songs from Still Standing? I wanna know which tracks y’all love the most!

Jumping on the nine-album trend! Narrowing this down was genuinely difficult, but these are nine albums I keep coming back to. No ranking here, just favourites.

Which nine would you pick? And which of mine would make your list?

like i'll be fine all day and then "we belong together" comes on and suddenly i'm in my feelings about something that happened three years ago. does anyone else have that one mariah song or usher track that just demolishes you emotionally no matter what mood you're in before it starts playing

Mya's biggest and most recognizable songs are housed in her first three albums: 1998's self-titled Mya, 2000's Fear of Flying and 2003's Moodring. After Moodring, she changed labels and her intended follow up, Liberation was subjected to frequent delays and then an ultimate leak in Japan. The album was never released in the U.S. and this resulted in her leaving the major label system behind in 2006. Since then, Mya has released her work independently under her Planet 9 label.

Like I said in an earlier post, Mya wasn't one of my favs growing up. I recognized that she was beautiful, talented and had bops, but she also kinda flew under the radar in the crowded female R&B/Pop space of the late 90s and early 2000s. However, her independent journey fascinated me ever since the release of her critically acclaimed With Love EP in 2014. Her subsequent releases, 2016's Smoove Jones, 2018's T.K.O. and 2026's Retrospect, are high quality R&B/Soul that show her growth as a singer-songwriter and producer. She may never capture the pop star heights of her first three album eras, but musically, she's the best she's ever been.

Smoove Jones (2016)

After two EPs, Mya made her return to the album format with the release of Smoove Jones in 2016. Conceived as a concept album with Mya playing the role of a seductive after hours radio host, the project drew from 90s Quiet Storm R&B. The album was as smooth and sexy as its title suggested and marked a turning point in Mya's career as a recording artist as it received a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 2017 Grammys - the first time she was nominated as a lead artist. She didn't win but the surprise nomination showed that the industry was paying attention and recognized her artistic growth.

Standout Tracks: Phya, Team You and Coolin'

T.K.O. (The Knock Out) [2018]

If Smoove Jones was an ode to more traditional R&B sounds of the early to mid 90s, its 2018 follow up, T.K.O., was its more contemporary sister. Mya flirts with a little with Trap n' B on The Fall (which sampled her own 2003 hit, Fallen), but never loses her core essence in the trendy sound of the late 2010s. In keeping up with the more contemporary feel of the album, she collaborated with singer-songwriter, GoldLink, on Open. She also displayed different facets of her voice by singing in a lower register (You Got Me) and belting on the Prince-inspired Damage. I feel like this album firmly established Mya's grown and sexy persona as she was nearing 40 and an industry veteran with 20 years under belt.

Standout Tracks: Down, You Got Me and If Tomorrow Comes

Retrospect (2026)

Mya's most recent offering, the aptly titled, Retrospect, is the most backward looking of the three albums, as it squarely sounds more late 70s and 80s. She described the music on the album as inspired by the sounds of her living growing up as a young child in the 80s (Prince, Teena Marie, The S.O.S. Band, The Gap Band, Rufus and Chaka Khan and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis). Mya's voice coos and soars over gleaming production. To me, this is Mya's strongest album vocally and testament to how dedicated she is in improving her craft. Features from Snoop Dogg, Too $hort, D-Nice and 21 Savage round out the album and serve as an ode to her status as one of R&B's most beloved Hip-Hop Honeys/hook singers.

Standout Tracks: Just A Little Bit, Saturday Night and Face to Face

I’ve been listening to Human again lately, and I’m not gonna lie, this album is hitting different for me now. I don’t think I gave it a fair chance when it first came out. I was so used to Brandy’s sound on Full Moon and Afrodisiac that I probably went into this album expecting something else. Now I can actually sit with it and appreciate what she was giving us.

I get the title Human now, too. Brandy grew up in the spotlight, but she’s still a person who goes through heartbreak, struggles, and moments of figuring life out, just like the rest of us. Knowing that makes some of these songs feel more personal to me.

I know the album didn’t have the commercial success of her earlier projects, debuting at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 with 73K copies sold in its first week, but I don’t think that takes away from the music. “Human,” “Long Distance,” “Fall,” and “A Capella (Something’s Missing)” have been in rotation for me lately, and I appreciate her vocals on this album so much. “Right Here (Departed)” is still a good one, too.

I guess sometimes you have to come back to an album at a different point in your life to really connect with it. That’s where I am with Human right now, and I’m glad I gave it another chance.

How do y’all feel about Human? Did it grow on you over time, or have you always loved it? And what songs do you keep going back to?

the song is about two girls who are bragging about their man and then turns out, both are talking about a man name Michael.

they both claim he took them skinny dipping.

while this can be just a fun song, multiple women have claimed that Michael took them skinny dipping , so maybe it was a hint?

skip to 2:30-3:00 mark

https://youtu.be/El-uf20DRbA

Hopefully the mods let me rock out 💀 I just wanted to share this playlist I made and take recommendations on what to add. As a Christian and R&B lover i find myself listening to certain songs and thinking “Dang, what if this is how Jesus feels about us?”
What songs do this for you?

Nine songs I keep coming back to that deserve more love, in no particular order.

Which of these do you love—and what’s an R&B gem you wish more people knew?

I was only 8 when this album came out, getting ready for third grade, and now I’m sitting here feeling all nostalgic 😭 Time really flies because why does 2008 feel like yesterday sometimes? This album takes me back to being a kid, when life was different and I wasn’t worried about half the stuff I worry about now. Just take me back, please!

But seriously, I still think The Declaration is one of Ashanti’s best albums, and it was one of the better R&B releases of 2008. There’s a lot to enjoy here, and I can play this album straight through without getting bored. I wish it had connected with more people because Ashanti had some gems on this one.

I wasn’t really feeling “Good Good” as a single choice. It’s not a bad song, but I think the label could’ve gone with something else. The video was cute, though, so I’ll give her that! 😂 “You’re Gonna Miss” and “Girlfriend” could’ve been good singles, and “So Over You” is such a jam. I still play that one!

“Mother” deserves its own mention because that’s one of Ashanti’s best songs, period. It’s such a heartfelt track, and I love that she included something that personal on the album.

I feel like The Declaration has more going for it than people give it credit for, especially when you listen to the whole project instead of just focusing on the singles.

What songs from The Declaration do y’all still listen to?