The compositions are equally vital, and throughout the album, KING does a stellar job of letting the music breathe for its roughly 60-minute runtime. On "Love Song," for instance, the vocalists hum softly without their words taking shape. It's a light touch, built to establish a meditative mood. This isn't an LP of long runs or over-the-top vocal solos. These sounds are remarkably modern, yet as it plays, you find yourself thinking of simpler times-that homecoming dance or first kiss-as the singers keep their voices supplanted in the backdrop. We Are KING recalls the best of that era without completely rehashing it. KING harkens back to a time when there were clearer distinctions between R&B, pop, and hip-hop, when acts like Jodeci and SWV ruled the airwaves, and the music was lighter and more sensuous. We Are KING is rich and transformative, centered on hazy mid-tempo grooves that calmly evoke a surreal ambience. So there's plenty of interest in We Are KING, even if the singers are just on the periphery of larger mainstream circles.įusing dream pop and R&B, KING floats through its debut album, making easy atmospheric blends akin to Sade and Janet Jackson. Behind singles " In the Meantime" and " Mister Chameleon," KING was set to release its long-awaited first LP in 2014, but the year came and went without a full-length project. Their EP had only three tracks-three wonderful tracks-but a short playlist nonetheless. The trio-comprised of Anita Bias and twins Paris and Amber Strother-has seen its stock rise significantly, although it didn't have a lot of music to speak of.
By 2014, at the FYF Fest in Los Angeles, the singers covered Nina Simone's "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" alongside Devonté Hynes, Moses Sumney, and Solange. In 2011, KING's debut EP came out of nowhere to almost-immediate acclaim: Prince, Roots bandleader ?uestlove, and Foreign Exchange frontman Phonte Coleman all praised the group's talent, and rapper Kendrick Lamar sampled " Hey," arguably KING's best song, for Section.80 track "Chapter Six." The group worked with singer Bilal for a song on his 2013 album, A Love Surreal, and with jazz pianist Robert Glasper, on his Black Radio LP.
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