KING - The Story (EP) (2011)

At only three songs, it's not even quite an EP, but it's the best $2.98 a vibe-loving, progressive soul fan will spend this year. The LA-based KING is an almost extinct creation in R&B, an all-girl trio with an even rarer female producer in Paris Strother. On the strongest cuts, "Supernatural" and "Hey," Minneapolis born twins Paris and Amber Strother and LA native Anita Bias collectively pen luxuriously romantic lyrics and exchange airy, gossamer light vocals that float over, around, and through a sound scape of kaleidoscopic instrumentation and unconventional song structures so gorgeous that they literally feel like love. Elaborate in composition and quietly intricate in arrangement, "Supernatural" is one of this year's most magical musical moments-from its ever expanding universe of new instruments every few bars to its triumphant brass climax, this song sets a high bar for the surely forthcoming full-length KING album.