The Love Royale

Headed up by singer Heather Larrabee and Flobots producer Kyle Jones, the Love Royale whips up some of the finest electro-soul in these parts. On Love Letters, the first of three long-form EPs, the group lays down a number of tracks that provide an ideal soundtrack for getting to, er, know somebody. Throw on the sweaty, grinding groove of “Give It to Me,” which kind of feels like a distant cousin of Grace Jones’s “Private Life,” or the unhurried neo-soul of “Do the Dance,” or “Sunday.” All are saucy enough to get things heated up. But Love Letters isn’t just about getting sexed up; the band turns up the energetic funk on “Come Over” and rocks out a bit on “Sundress.” Any way you look at it, Love Letters is a thoroughly strong effort, and the captivating Larrabee shows she’s quite capable of simultaneously being seductive and belting it out.