10 Sexy R&B Singers Who Should Make a Comeback

Image via Complex Original

Though the incomparably sexy Toni Braxton is now 45-years-old, we're of the opinion that she, like fine wine, only gets better with age. Braxton, who's won a staggering six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards and five Billboard Music Awards, hasn't had a hit record in quite a while. Her last release, 2009's Pulse, was considered a commercial flop.

We think it's about time that Toni drops a brand new album and starts collecting more awards.

In the late '90s, former Fugee Lauryn Hill seemed poised to grab her scepter, sit on her thrown and reign as the queen of R&B for years to come. Then, sadly, this Grammy-winning beauty decided to step away from the music industry as a whole. After a four-year hiatus, Lauryn made a brief mainstream return with a controversial appearance on MTV's Unplugged series, but after it wrapped, Hill seemingly disappeared once again. 

In recent years, this uber-talented mother of six has popped up at an odd festival or two, but that's not enough. We want more, Lauryn!

At one point in time, Atlanta's Monica was an R&B phenomenon. She's had two albums debut at the no. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, she owns a Grammy statue and, in total, she has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. Unfortunately, in the past few years, we've heard very little about Monica. Her latest release, 2012's New Life, which featured a second duet with Brandy, received little if any fanfare.

Monica's one of the most respected female R&B artists of the past few decades, so we think it's about time she produce some hits.

In the early 2000s, Ashanti, Long Island's R&B princess, was everywhere. Fueled by the success of her hit single, "Foolish," the first lady of Murder Inc.'s self-titled debut sold over a half a million albums in its first week, setting Soundscan records in the process. The record also earned Ashanti her first Grammy award when she took home the trophy for Best Contemporary R&B album in 2003. She had collaborative hits with Ja Rule, J-Lo, Big Pun and Fat Joe, and by 2008, Ashanti had sold over 15 million records worldwide! Then, she disappeared.

Ashanti, who also took time to act in films such as Coach Carter, seems to be well on her way to making a resurgence in the music industry. Her latest album, Braveheart, is currently slated for a January 2013 release.

If you've heard the name Brandy in recent years, it's more than likely that it was in relationship to either a reality show or an acting role. Though she is a Grammy-winning R&B singer, over the past few years, she's been busy with reality shows like Dancing With the Stars or Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business, or acting in series' like 90210 or the Lifetime network's Drop Dead Diva.

However, with the release of this month's Two Eleven, her sixth studio album, Brandy goes back to what brought her to the dance: pumping out R&B hits.

After winning a Grammy in 2002 for "Lady Marmalade," her collaboration with Pink, Lil' Kim and Christina Aguilera, the adorable Mya all but disappeared from the mainstream music scene. In 2007, she released her fourth studio album, Liberation, but only in Japan, and it was a download-only release at that. In the following years, she released two more albums that were exclusive to Japan, 2009's Sugar & Spice and 2011's K.I.S.S.

Unless someone in Japan can grab us a copy of her albums, Mya's music deserves to be released, and appreciated, here in the States as well. 

Christina Milian, whose "Dip It Low" has to be one of the sexiest music videos in the history of MTV, consistently topped charts between 2001 and 2006. Not only did Milian produce hits like "Say" and "Whatever U Want," but she also starred in hit movies. Among other films, she co-starred alongside John Travolta and Dwayne " The Rock" Johnson in 2005's Be Cool. 

After having a child with, and being briefly married to, fellow R&B singer The-Dream, Milian took a bit of a break from the entertainment biz. But now, after having recently signed to Young Money records, it looks like that break may soon be coming to an end.

Ameriie, a vocalist who's a gorgeous mix of Korean and African American descent, had her first hit in 2002 with her debut single, "Why Don't We Fall In Love." This leggy beauty quickly became a staple on MTV and on the radio, and toured alongside such hip-hop heavyweights as Nas, Usher and Nelly. Her biggest hit came in 2005 when she released "1 Thing," the first single off her sophomore release, Touch. The success of that single helped propel Ameriie to a Grammy nomination in 2006, in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category.

At just 32-years-old, we think this sexy singer still has plenty of time to produce another monster single.

Though you may not know her name off the top of your head, Claudette Ortiz, the sultry female in City High, is due for a solo return. The group, which only lasted a little over two years, had one monster hit single, 2001's "What Would You Do?" After City High folded, Claudette pursued her own independent stardom. Unfortunately, aside from a collaboration with Wyclef Jean on the soundtrack to the largely forgettable Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, nothing major materialized.

Try again, Claudette! You're far too sexy not to be in magazines and on TV.

In 1996, alongside Brandy, Chaka Khan and the legendary Gladys Knight, Tamia had a hit single with her contribution to the Set It Off soundtrack, "Missing You". Throughout the years, Tamia scored a few more hits, most notably 2000's "Stranger In My House" and 2004's "Into You," the latter of which was a collaboration with Fabolous that went to no. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.

And although she hasn't had a smash hit in a while, Tamia's on the road to making a return to the limelight—literally. She's currently out on tour with R. Kelly.