Cashmere Tears | Kojey Radical’s Latest Album in Review
This is art done right! Smooth, Special and Sexy.
“Home Sweet Home was my off the wall, but I got a thriller in me, everybody’s warned.” - Kano FITB
I started with this quote because I feel it has so much relevance to this album; I feel this is Mr. Radical’s penultimate project to perfection. Three albums deep and Cashmere Tears may well be his “Off the Wall” but he definitely has a Thriller in him. You’ve been warned. This is art done right! Smooth, Special and Sexy.
Where do I begin? Possibly the best intro I’ve heard from Kojey yet. Although Utopia and Footsteps are incredible pieces of music, Where Do I Begin has the edge of also being a great introduction track. The marching band feel of the drums and the prominence of the trumpets in this track is not overshadowed at all by Kojey, or his story.
Instead it blends together like the silky threads of his clothing. My ears have been blessed with this album for more than a month now and I feel the hook is engrained into my head - “Where do I begin? H - O - X, T - O - N is where I been”.
Moving through the album you see Kojey answer the question that haunts all of us modern artists; Where do you place the singles in a project? I think, psychologically speaking, he made the best choice. We crave comfort and familiarity as humans; we are creatures of habit. So to have 2020 and Can’t Go Back his 2 singles as track 2 & 3 was a smart move and I encourage all artists to do it.
Since the single release of 2020, I’ve had time for the message to sink in and now to hear it in place in the album, it really makes sense. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it when the single dropped, however as a 26-year-old artist with 10+ years experience in the music industry, I feel I can relate to this song more than a punter would. Nonetheless it doesn’t mean the concept can’t be applied to anyone’s life or skill; it is definitely a universal concept and I feel that’s why it works.
Can’t Go Back is also a very relatable and universal subject, especially in today’s world. Although the next 2 tracks on the album come a close second, Can’t Go Back is my favourite. The overall message of the song seems to show us that Kojey is here for good, he will not and cannot go back to his past life before the music and touring.
A starving artist is exactly that. Hungry for anything; not just food, money and work. Sometimes we can be hungry for emotion as a lot of artists suffer from mental health issues. Music is life for us artists; music is love and vibrations - it connects us all.
Although I’m sure a few artists were collaborating on this project, Sugar is the only one with a feature credit. Amaarae and Kojey swerve their tones back and forth in the hook.
In Verse 2 we hear “Persistent pussy Pleaser, my posture Harry Pinero”, my favourite line of the whole album, and one of the only times I’ve heard somebody speak about an influencer in their music, especially with such amazing, adjusted alliteration. This is our culture. This is the writing we deserve and this is more than music.
Cashmere Tears is easily one of my favourite tracks on the album, and not just because Swindle is one of my favourite UK producers. The constant reminder in the hook that “I liiiiike that” is another reason. My second would be that both the lyrics and music are arranged so well. In my honest opinion, although the whole album is amazing, I would consider this one timeless.
Hours is almost like a B-Side to Cashmere Tears. The two go together very well. There is a reflective overtone within the lyrics, a strong melodic line and elements of smooth funk.
The structure of this song is quite unique; its Kojey’s usual flowery vibes for 8 bars or so, which is then smoothly interrupted by beautiful vocals which I can only assume is also Kojey. The “3rd act” of this song is my favourite with a suspenseful bridge into more vocals and some call and response brass to see us out.
Eleven is the closest thing to “a filler track” this album offers, that’s not to say it is one, nor that it is a bad track. The first half of the track’s music itself is pretty simple and that is my main reason for labelling it the way I have. However, the lyrical structure of the verses is probably my favourite on the album and the progression of the track is very well thought out.
The next track Down2This brings us swiftly into the end of the album. It is almost like an interlude to the outro and in my opinion should have been the outro. It is beautiful, short and sweet.
Feel About It is the longest track on the album, which is great to put next to the shortest. It also feels the most cinematic. I would love to see a video for this one as it is quite a dramatic piece and I picture Kojey doing amazing stuff in the video.
Last Night is a brilliant end to the album. Although it’s not personally my favourite track I can see how others would like it. I’m quite picky when it comes to projects and it is hard to nail both intro and outro. Referencing to God as a woman is worth an honourable mention (especially from a male artist), as is the last line “What do we do now?”
Overall, the album is a huge progression for Kojey, and the kind of work that I love to see artists do; adapting and trying new things. It is definitely my favourite album from him so far, and I’ve enjoyed every one of my umpteen listens. Being only 30 minutes, 10 tracks and well-structured, its replay value is almost priceless in today’s over-saturated world.