Album Review: KING - We Are KING

What am you listening to?

We Are KING, the debut full length from the post-R&B trio, known simply as KING.

Who are KING?

That’s a really good question, as I have very little to go on. It’s twin sisters and a third woman, a “musical sister,” as she is listed in the group’s bio. They create “dream-soul” music, and have some kind of loose Minneapolis connection, according to the same bio. You’d think that would have been exploited at this point by Minnesota Public Radio, or the Star Tribune or something, but I don’t think it has. NPR claims they were discovered by Prince on YouTube—which is a very 2016 way to be discovered as an artist.

So how did you hear about it?

It was posted without context in a place where I go to….obtain music…for review purposes on this blog. There were a number of people talking about just how great it is, so I opted to give it a listen.

Is it as great as everyone was leading you to believe?

That I am not sure of.

Why is that?

You ask a lot of questions.

You’re the one who created this kind of review style as a means to get over your depression induced writer’s block when you felt compelled to write a review and continue generating content for your blog, but didn’t feel strongly about anything to actually sit down and write a legitimate review.

You have a point.

Anyway, you were saying about KING…..

Yes, KING. Call it post-R&B. Call it “dream-soul.” Call it what you will. It’s modern day pop music that tips more than its hat to the sounds that came before it—think 1980s and very early 1990s top 40 R&B. And as hard as it tries to sound innovative and modern for these very innovative and modern times in which we live, it can’t help but come off as a little derivative of its influences—albeit a charming derivate at that.

The thing about We Are KING is that yes it slinks along into a nice, body moving groove, but it also settles into that groove as well—there isn’t a ton going on to distinguish one song from the others: airy, slightly ethereal and effected vocals? Check. Dope drum machine beats? Check. A bassline holdin’ it down? Double check. Vintage sounding keyboards and other gadgetry? You know it!

Like, there’s nothing that makes We Are KING a particularly memorable album. Sure, it’s fun. It’s a lot of fun to hear music like this, but there isn’t any particular depth to this record. But maybe there isn’t supposed to be. Maybe we’re just supposed to enjoy it for what it is.

At times it’s captivating—like the opening double shot of “The Right One” and “The Greatest”; at times, it’s boring and meandering, like the lengthy “Supernatural” or the snail’s pace of  “In The Meantime.” The problem that I had with We Are KING is that in the end, there was no real sense of immediacy with it. I love music like this—there’s something about it that usually grabs a hold of me on the first listen. Here, that was not the case. It’s good, sure. But “good” only goes so far. Does it warrant subsequent listens until I “get it?” Is it a “grower?” Am I just doing it wrong?

Well, what answer did you come up with?

Like so many other albums that I’ve reviewed, this will, unfortunately, end up as just another set of files taking up space on my hard drive. It’s not the kind of album I see growing on my with subsequent listens, nor do I see it as the kind of album that I’ll be returning to the year.

For fans of throwback R&B or of adult oriented pop music, it’s worth a listen. But just don’t be surprised if you are as unmoved by it as I was. 

We Are KING is out on Friday via the group's own imprint.