Pop Music Power Couple Che-Val Release Debut Album 'Waterproof'

The latest music news from Factory Underground Records is the debut album "Waterproof" from pop music's new power couple Che-Val. The ten-song album ranging from classic retro to modern pop showcases influences that range from classic soul, funk, and disco to modern and alternative pop. "Waterproof" is now available on iTunes, Spotify and retail/streaming sites around the world. The album is already percolating nationally at college radio promoted by Brandon Day at Tinderbox Music.

Emerging as a pop music songwriting team in the vein of Ashford and Simpson, Kenny and Laura Cash have also been described as "Johnny and June (Cash) meet Matt and Kim." Che-Val mixes retro styles and brings them into the future with cutting edge recording production. Laura teaches science by day, writing songs and belting out emotive vocal hooks by night. Her background in pop and country is blended perfectly with Kenny's ear for hip-hop, funk, and soul in a collaborative songwriting process. Kenny is the engineer and producer bringing Che-Val songs to life at his Norwalk, CT-based Factory Underground Studios. The multi-instrumentalist is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

Che-Val blasted into existence with their very first single, "My Beat", climbing to #52 on the Mediabase "Top 40" Activator chart. The DIY couple self-produced a video for the song that garnered an impressive twenty-six thousand views on Vevo. The synthesized, upbeat 1980's-inspired dance track is complimented by the 1960's-soul inspired "Oh Darling" that features a live horn section by the Funky Dawgs Brass Band. The New Orleans-style funk group also appear on the tongue-in-cheek funk track "Love Still Waiting."

The husband-and-wife team reveal many sides of their ever-evolving palette with the sleekly modern ballad and title-track "Waterproof," which fuses synth bass with live orchestral elements. "The Lead" throws homage to one of Laura's major songwriting influences, Jim Steinman, with a modern day nod to his darkly obsessive epic ballads. The song features a crooning guest vocal by Bronx, NY-based rapper Rothstein. "Poison" utilizes lush vocals and strings over dissonant piano chords while "Don't Give Up on Me," features a single torch song-vocal over a jazzy, chordal acoustic guitar. "Gone Mad" delves into the group's darker side with an Alice-in-Wonderland themed music video released last Halloween. The video, which features elaborate period costumes, surreal set pieces, and elements of green screen-animation, was instantly embraced by the international cosplay community.

Che-Val's dichotomy of "classic meets modern" is clearly reflected by the two licensed cover tracks on the album: the country-tinged pop version of "Classic Man" by the Grammy-nominated soul artist Jidenna (Wonderland Records) and the re-imagination of "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys. The latter was created as a tribute to the "true genius of Brian Wilson," cited as a founding influence for Kenny Cash. The masterfully arranged a-cappella show's Kenny's own production prowess, with Laura's vocals filtered by a Korg digital Vocoder instrument.

A dynamic group on the forefront of today's pop music scene building a loyal and loving fan base in tune with the crafted intelligence their music, Che-Val bring a sense of fun and adventure to the songs and videos they create. A husband and wife songwriting-production team who are partners in life, love and music, Kenny and Laura Cash are set to be a new power couple of pop music.