36. Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream'

The rise of rap sent R&B wandering in the desert for years until recently, when artists realized they could experiment instead of compete. While Miguel’s not as well-known as contemporaries like Frank Ocean or the Weeknd, his Prince-inspired expansiveness provides a nice counterbalance to the former’s melancholy and the latter’s creep factor. Kaleidoscope Dream does indeed sound like a random shuffling of sonic influences that somehow come out stunningly beautiful, shockingly unique and winningly psychedelic with every new twist. -- Joshua Ostroff