2006: Year in Music - R&B

Best R&B Album
3121, Prince
B'Day, Beyoncé
The Breakthrough, Mary J. Blige
On the Jungle Floor, Van Hunt
Testimony, Vol. 1: Life and Relationships, India.Arie

the winner: B'Day, Beyoncé
This album really surprised me, a tremendous improvement on the scattered, overrated and only sporadically good Dangerously in Love. B'Day pulsates with big beats and one anthemic club track after another. But the moment you realise just how good the album is, is when 'Irreplaceable', one of only two slow tracks on the album, plays and it dawns that even the ballads are awesome.

Best R&B Song
Be Without You, Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Michael-Cox and Jason Perry (Mary J. Blige) watch
Black Sweat, Prince (Prince) watch
Crazy, Brian Burton, Thomas Callaway, Gianfranco Reverberi and Gianpiero Reverberi (Gnarls Barkley) watch
Déjà Vu, Shawn Carter, Rodney Jerkins, Beyoncé Knowles, Makeba, Keli Nicole Price and Delisha Thomas (Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z) watch
Irreplaceable, A. Bjørklund, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Beyoncé Knowles, E. Lind, and S. Smith (Beyoncé) watch

Best R&B Male Vocal Performance
Being a Girl, Van Hunt
Black Sweat, Prince watch
King of the Game, Cody ChesnuTT watch
Save Room, John Legend watch
So Sick, Ne-Yo watch

Best R&B Female Vocal Performance
Alarm, Namie Amuro watch
Be Without You, Mary J. Blige watch
Beware of the Dog, Jamelia watch
Don't Forget About Us, Mariah Carey watch
Irreplaceable, Beyoncé watch

Best R&B Group or Duo Vocal Performance
Beautiful, Loved and Blessed; Prince and Tamar
Cruise Control, Teena Marie featuring Smokey Robinson
I Found My Everything, Mary J. Blige featuring Rapahel Saadiq
Love Changes, Jamie Foxx featuring Mary J. Blige watch
S.E.X., Lyfe Jennings featuring Lala Brown watch

Best Urban Alternative Music Performance
Bossy, Kelis featuring Too $hort watch
Crazy, Gnarls Barkley watch
Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry About Me), Outkast watch
SupaStar, Floetry featuring Common watch
That Heat, Sergio Mendes featuring Erykah Badu and Will.I.Am watch

Tomorrow: Music videos, songs written for films and producer of the year