Here’s an R&B playlist that strips things down to the essentials: no bells, no whistles, no studio magic—just voice, instrument, song, and spirit. Some of the tracks here are reworks, instances of an artist recording a new, more minimal version something they’ve already released. Some were just born this way. Ballads, slow jams, new and old, here’s the sound of R&B at its barest. We update this collection regularly, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.