- unknown

- none known

Genre: soul

Rating: 2 stars **

Title:  Kid Cashmere

Company: Guinness

Catalog: GNS 36081
Year: 1977

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5709

Price: $150.00

One of the last releases on the Guinness tax scam label and another one with little or no documentation.  As usual there was little in the way of credits - all seven song were credited Robert Delvey (?), but that's about the extent of information ...  no production or performance details.  The album also sported one of the label's uglier covers ...

Musically "Kid Cashmere" offered up a strange mix of funk, rock, and soul moves.  Hard to adequately describe, tracks like 'Rock 'n' Roll' and 'Lonely People' melded nice hard rock guitar moves, preening vocals, with a funky rhythm section - the anonymous bass player was actually quite good.  There were two lead singers; one with a gruff delivery who could have been good except for the fact he sounded like he was trying way too hard to show his street credentials.  The other vocalist had a habit of falling into a piercing falsetto.  At least to my ears, the combination of their vocal styles was an ongoing source of irritation that never came close to becoming an acquired taste.  Check out the rocker 'Something's Happening' to hear them at the most extreme.  At their best these guys occasionally sounded a little bit like early Prince having gotten his hand slammed in a sport car door.  The ballad 'I Love You' was a pretty good example of their shortcomings.  The first half of the song didn't do all that much with the pair of singers aimlessly trading off vocals.  Luckily, the second half of the song served to showcase a first-rate lead guitarist.  He saved the track without even breaking a sweat.  Even worse were the tunes where they made halfhearted efforts to sound funky.  Think Wild Cherry (the guys responsible for the hideous 'Play that Funky Music White Boy') and you'd get a feel for 'Funky Nine'.  Almost as bad was  title track (which they pronounce 'caz-mere' - no 'h' as in the expensive material).  It made for an odd collection, even for the eclectic Guinness catalog.  One of the few albums where I struggle to find anything nice to say - not even endearing in a weird way. 

"Kid Cashmere" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Rock 'n' Roll   (Robert Delvey) - 5:30   rating: * star

Ever see the film This Is Spinal Tap?  Imagine David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls, and Nigel Tufnel trying to cop a '70s punk-meets-disco New York attitude ... Add in horribly done audience sound effects and some fingernails-on-a-blackboard falsetto shrieks and you had 'Rock 'n' Roll'.  Music to torture Talliban prisoners by ...

2.) Funky Nine   (Robert Delvey) - 4:55    rating: ** stars

Ever heard of Rob Parissi ad WIld Cherry ?  The song 'Play That Funky Music' ring a bell ?  Well, that horrible slice of white-boy funk sounded like a Grammy winner compared to the hideous 'Funky Nine'.   Seriously, out Siberian cat has more funk in his soul that these guys.   Guess we should be grateful they didn't title it 'Funky Sixty Nine'.

3.) Lonely People   (Robert Delvey) - 6:32   rating: *** stars

I'm a sucker for a nice bass line and fuzz guitar.  Thankfully 'Lonely People' offered up a little of both.   Shame they didn't record this one as an instrumental.  

(side 2)
1.) Cashmere Strut   (Robert Delvey) - 4:47   rating: *** stars

Four stars for the anonymous lead guitar; one star for the rest of the tune - these guys simply were not as cool and funky as they though they were.  Hopefully when they listen to their scatting efforts on this one they are filled with shame and embarrassment.  I certain am.  

2.) I Love You Baby   (Robert Delvey) - 7:05    rating: ** stars

Hard to believe someone didn't suggest starting a song off with the horrible falsetto wasn't the best idea around.  'Love You Baby' was a bland ballad that was almost worth hearing for the cheesy synthesizer washes and the simply dreadful interaction between the two singers.  Hearing the two wail back and forth at each other actually sounded like a pair of feral cats about to go after each other.  Clocking in at over seven minutes, this one was truly painful.    

3.) Something's Happening   (Robert Delvey) - 2:43    rating: ** stars

'Something's Happening' was a nice enough rocker with some excellent lead guitar, but the combination of the shreaky falsetto and gruff, but pompous second vocal made it almost unlistenible.    

4.) Good Thing Slide   (Robert Delvey) - 2:57   rating: *** stars

Opening up with some nice lead guitar before morphing into a decent blues-rocker 'Good Thing Slide' was probably the album's best tune, or perhaps better described as the album's least irritating.  Geez, what was with their voices ?