"The King of Salem" hauntingly good music from Kings and Queens

I am going to admit it up front. It’s taken me a long time to come around and feel comfortable talking about Kings and Queens. It is not because of the duo.  Richard and Kaleisha are mighty fine people. It was because of my own stupidity. “The King of Salem” is a song that took me a long time to break down. However, once I wrapped my mind around it, the story became ingrained in me like very few songs have.

As you may know we talk a lot about country music on here. All though Kings and Queens don’t directly label themselves as what we call country today, their music reflects back to the origins of modern country music. They line up well with The Civil Wars. We might call it folk or Americana today, but Kings and Queens represents a time when storytelling was more a necessity than a simple activity of leisure. There was a time when most people lacked the ability to read and write and used music to educate. Through song they past knowledge about the ups and downs of life to each generation.

” The King of Salem” is a title that alone brings pause. When I first heard it the Salem witch trials was the first thing to come to mind. However, I learned that is was based on a different cautionary tale. It is partially based on “The Alchemist”. This is a story of a man who has pretty much seen everything humanity has to offer. He warns those who listens to the story that our actions carry power. In wielding this power we can do both good and bad. By taking too many steps in the wrong direction will drive us to a regrettable end.

Kings and Queens are worthy of your playlist. Their great sound and deep lyrics bring storytelling back to it’s origin. Their music is multidimensional and challenges you to think. Kings and Queens is the break you need from the mundane. 

Down below we included some links to check out this talented duo. Thanks for stopping by the luncheonette. We will see you next time.