(December 20, 2022) It is always fun at the end of each year to celebrate the best of that year. And 2021 had a lot of great music. And so we’ve gathered our music critics to each pick their favorites, which we’ve assembled below in our list of the 100 Best Soul Songs of 2022.
The toughest part of this is limiting the choices, but here are the selections from our staff, listed alphabetically by song title. We also have a Spotify playlist below so that you can listen to the list.
You can’t go wrong with any of these. Congratulations to the artists involved! #SoulTracks2022
A Girl Can Get Used to This – Kandace Springs
AA Side Single – Brooklyn Funk Essentials
All My Black – Stokes & Machine, Algebra Blessett, Lin Rountree
As – Wendy Moten
Baby Let’s Dance Tonight – Jay King
Bada Ba Ba (Stay Together) – Royalty Duo
Beyond – Lee England Jr.
Bizness – Mariah
Black Pearl – Parkes Stewart
Broken Record – Alexa Givens
Can We Get Back To Love – Binky Womack
Can’t Change Yesterday – Keith Robertson
Church – Evvie McKinney
Coastin – Boney James feat. Lalah Hathaway
Cool – John Legend (bonus track on CD)
Come Back – Trombone Shorty
Contagious – Ty Causey
Could Heaven Ever Be Like This – Incognito
Diamond In the Desert – Sidibe
Denim Groove – Charles Stepney
Dot Dot Dot – Marqueal Jordan
Electricity – Wade C. Long
Family Time – Glenn Jones
Fantasy – Sensere
Feeling Fine – Nia Simmons
Footsteps In the Dark – Jarrod Lawson
Free Yourself – Jessie Ware
FriendZone – DMo! and Amber Navran
Give Her Your Love – Eric Nolan and Walter Williams Jr.
Good Music – Sargent Tucker
Got It On Time – Kenny Thomas
Heaven – Algebra Blessett and Anthony David
Here’s To Life – Dione Bullard
Hurricane — Shanuka
I Don’t Care – Eric Seats feat. Carol Riddick
I Gotta Pinch Myself – Frank McComb and Kathy Kosins
I Promise – Chris Jasper
I Wanna Be More (You Are) – Penny Wells
I’m Yours – Laura Rain & The Caesars
In My Life – The Detroit Emeralds
In Your Arms – Ascendant
It’s Gonna Be Alright – Acantha Lang
Kinda Guy – Will Downing
Lately – Sophia Bromberg
Leave Me Behind – Raquel Rodriquez & DUX
Let Me Be – Beth
Lift Me Up – Rhianna
Live a Lie – V3nus
Long Gone – Claire Davis
Lost & Alive – Swatkins
Lost for Words – The Womack Sisters
Love Again — Alex Isley
Love and Fire – Hil St. Soul
Love Me To My Soul – Joe Leavy
Love Of Your Life – Lindsey Webster
Love Ship – I.Khan
Love Song – Brother Reggie
Love’s My Ammunition – Son of Pearl
Love’s Train – Silk Sonic
Luckiest Man – Warren Mills
Make It With Me – Ray Curenton
Movin – Avery Sunshine
Never Known – Iryne Rock
Number One Fan – Miki Howard
On My Way – PJ Morton feat. El DeBarge
One Day Closer to Home – William Bell
Ooh You – Val B. King feat. Najee
Oooo Boy – Joan Belgrave
Out of Time – The Weeknd
Over — Lucky Daye
Party for One – Mamas Gun
Plastic Off The Sofa – Beyonce
Power of a Woman – Ella Mai
Preacher Man – Mica Millar
Rhythm and Blues – Lamone
Seen – Eric Roberson feat. Cory Henry
Simple Complexity – Siloam Pool
Sinner — Adekunle Gold
So in Love – Melba Moore
Some of the Time – 4PM
Spellbound – Aya Ito
Stay With Me – Calvin Harris with Justin Timberlake, Halsey & Pharrell
Summertime – Kim Tibbs
Superheroes Prayer – Tamela Mann and Yolanda Adams
Tell Him – Moonchild w/Lalah Hathaway
Tell Me You Love Me – Jamison Ross
That’s All – Southern Avenue
The Moment (Steppers Mix) – Cornell CC Carter
The One – Teri Tobin
There’ll Never Be – Isley Brothers, EWF, El DeBarge
Tip of the Flame – Young Gun Silver Fox
Tokyo 2020 –Nao Yoshioka
Too Bad I Forget – Alex Isley & Jack Dine
True Love – Jason Peterson DeLaire
Trying to be Perfect – Candace Woodson
Tug of War – Fred Reed
Turn It Around – KEA
Turn It Up – BluDazz
Turnt Up Tonight – Terri Green and Randy Hall
We Were Made For Us – Frank McComb
What a Life – Savine
Whatever – Maysa