Los Angeles trio King have opened for Prince and Erykah Badu, and at their New York debut on Saturday, proved why. Prince because thy are r&b smooth jazz fusion from Minneapolis, Badu becomes there is an edginess and experimental belied and buried underneath their sound: they are Badu without the funk.
Amber Strot plays keyboards and twin sister Paris takes lead vocals, Anita Bias also takes lead voices and two others sing back up like the missing guitar. It is very beautiful, somewhat off kilter, and always somewhere else.
This is not mainstream r&b, instead it is harmalodic in its playing off keys, and underneath expectations, especially on the songs from the EP The Story.
It is a graceful and lovely 45 minute set which gently works against expectations. The three women, play without a safety net, without rhythm except for occasional tapes. AT one point they ask us to clap but needless to say no one can keep time.
There is something very artistic, strange in the way King twist on the melody during "Supernatural" and I held my breath waiting for the melody line to crash and burn.