Seraphina Lotkhamnga on June 6th, 2011

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Promising female trios surface every now and then, but they often seem to follow an obvious formulaic path. However, twins Paris and Amber Strother, along with Anita Bias of L.A.’s KING, have managed to step back and chill outside of the commercial limelight that fed the egos of groups such as Destiny’s Child. Brimming with emotional textures that range from soft hushes to cathartic cries, KING radiates influences from Motown greats like Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. Yet the twirling melodies and auxiliary soundscapes all three women have written, orchestrated and produced on their own are also deeply embedded in the neo-soul genre. Harmonies that are reminiscent of the Living Sisters but drenched in smooth R&B make KING’s tunes warm and uplifting. Fans include Erykah Badu and Prince (they opened for his last show at the Forum), and we’re thinking KING’s music will also nicely fit somewhere in between Little Dragon and Musiq Soulchild on our record shelves.

||| Stream: “The Story”

Photo by Alyssa Tumino

||| Also: Take a listen to “Supernatural” and “Hey” on KING’s soundcloud page.

||| Watch: Check out their charming, hand-made, stop animation video for the EP’s title track below.