The 2010s were a banner decade for R&B, as artists rejected both backwards-looking revivalism and brash posturing for a generous, malleable vision of what soul could be. The sound palette here is breathtaking, sparkling with fresh ideas, from the rubbery keyboard on “Nakamarra” to the percussive popcorn of “Sugah Daddy.” Leading the way is Beyonce, breaking from formation on her best album for playful, personal songs like “Drunk In Love’”s ode to mutual inebriation. Like any healthy relationship, all this variation keeps an old genre spicy.