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. 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. 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. Their EP had only three tracks—three wonderful tracks—but a short playlist nonetheless. 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. So there's plenty of interest in We Are KING, even if the singers are just on the periphery of larger mainstream circles.
Fusing dream pop and R&B, KING floats through its debut album, making easy atmospheric blends akin to Sade and Janet Jackson. We Are KING is rich and transformative, centered on hazy mid-tempo grooves that calmly evoke a surreal ambience. 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 recalls the best of that era without completely rehashing it. 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. This isn't an LP of long runs or over-the-top vocal solos. It's a light touch, built to establish a meditative mood. On "Love Song," for instance, the vocalists hum softly without their words taking shape. 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.
Over its 12 tracks, We Are KING slowly reveals itself through sweet one-liners that waft in from distant places, like on "Supernatural," one of three holdovers from the group's EP. After a brief intro of scenic wails, the song becomes a synthesized ode to puppy love: "There's magic in everything you do… I'm in love with everything 'bout you." We Are KING entices us to get away from the mundane, to spend time in grand spaces without smartphones and social media. Among other things, Paris, Amber, and Anita want you to reconnect with real people on real levels, to study their nuances and embrace their intricacies. They'd rather you appreciate what's in front of you, not the artificial world just beyond your passcode. "Red Eye," a transitional cut near the album's beginning, is about pushing beyond your comfort zone. "Native Land," the album's closing track, envisions a grand journey to remote shores.
At times, the singers address worldly, more grounded issues, stuff we can all relate to. "Mister Chameleon" is a tale of smoke and mirrors, of falling in love with a person you thought you knew. "Oh, Please!" depicts a romantic chase: It's the album's most overt display of personality, and the lyrics are more pronounced. As a whole, We Are KING is seamless: It properly showcases the group's breezy aesthetic and has the feel-good creativity of black music's great luminaries. Sure it took some time to get here, but unhurried art has its own special rewards. We Are KING has long-lasting impact, much like the music it emulates.
