Review Fix Exclusive: Che-Val’s Laura Cash Talks ‘Waterproof’

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Lauren Cash of Che-Val, who discusses the band’s new album, “Waterproof.”

About Che-Val:

Consisting of husband and wife, Kenny and Laura Cash, Che-Val uses retro styles and brings them into the future with cutting edge production. Laura teaches science by day, but writes and belts out emotive vocal hooks by night. Her background in pop and country is blended with Kenny’s ear for hip-hop, funk, and soul in a collaborative songwriting process. Their vision is then furthered through Kenny’s own engineering and production skills as a multi-instrumentalist Berklee College of Music graduate.

Review Fix: What has inspired the sound of this album the most?

Laura Cash: I think that the best thing about this album is that it’s inspired by a lot of different genres, different artists, and different experiences… and that’s something that you can hear upon first listen. The album really represents our musical journey together. Kenny has gotten me to explore and fall in love with his musical influences, like Prince and Stevie Wonder. I, in turn, have made Kenny delve into some of my influences, like Donna Summer, Dolly Parton, and Annie Lennox. And the sharing of these musical adventures is something that we put into each song on the album. We learned and traveled somewhere new on each song.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Cash: The Eurythmics meet Johnny and June Cash… if they did some time-traveling… and were bipolar.

Review Fix: Is there a song on this album with a great story behind it? Can you share?

Cash: I had a really bad experience with a coworker in my past job, where they essentially stole my intellectual property and tried to pass it off as their own. I made a conscious decision to myself to say, ‘You know what? I’m going to rise above and let this roll off of me. I can stay mad, or I can write a hit song about it.’… And that’s what I did! That’s the story behind the song ‘Waterproof.’

Review Fix: How has this album changed you as a musician?

Cash: We used every song as an opportunity to experiment and grow as musicians. For example, as a producer and mix engineer, Kenny wanted to really perfect recording and mixing live horns, so he used ‘My Beat’, ‘Love Still Waiting’, and ‘Oh Darling’ to do so. Whereas Kenny wanted to explore sonically, I wanted to explore vocally and through songwriting. For instance, I got to tap into the emotions, dynamics, and diction of my voice in ‘God Only Knows’.”

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

Cash: I want my music to show that you can go wherever your heart takes you… that you don’t have to fit into one category, one box, or one genre. Our album doesn’t fit that. My playlists don’t fit that. My life doesn’t fit that.

Review Fix: What are your goals for this album?

Cash: My goal for this album is to connect with more people… friends, fans, fellow musicians, fellow songwriters, etc.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why should someone listen to this album?

Cash: Because you might learn a ‘lil something about chemistry… pun intended (from a chemistry teacher herself).

Review Fix: What’s next?

Cash: We want to continue our exploration of music and start writing and producing for other acts as well. Especially local artists that frequent the Factory Underground, which is Kenny’s studio. The more artists that we can collaborate with, the more we can grow.