R&B is one of the most dynamic, adventurous sounds in modern music, a place where art both personal and provocative meets the mainstream. From the alt vanguard to modern vets, straightforward to left-field, these tracks capture where R&B is now and point the way to where it’s going. This week, Mariah the Scientist’s “Burning Blue” is at the top of the playlist. The smoldering ballad finds the singer-songwriter singing about a lover who melts her heart despite being jaded. “I got that blue fever/Cold as ice till you came near/You’re like another fire-breathing creature/But it don’t burn how it appears,” she lilts on the first verse. Mariah compares the intensity of being in love to the level of combustion that yields a blue flame—an idea which could only have been written by a woman who was once a biology major. We update this playlist regularly. If you like a track, add it to your library.