Cashma | Purple Apartment

Contemporary R&B singer/songwriter Cashma moves into her Purple Apartment, the final installment of the ‘Purple Series’

There are advantages for an artist in living as an introvert, to a point that they can release all those thoughts that have pressed them forever and a day. With a trilogy of her innermost journals dealing with the trials of family life, R&B singer/songwriter Cashma frees her mind of any emotion possible. Following up from Purple Mosquito (2020) and Purple Lights (2021), Purple Apartment documents the Georgia native’s move to her own place as she experiences love in different dynamics from raw sexual energy to building one’s self-confidence. Producer Mike Kalombo (under his Kalombo Records label) crafts catchy 80’s soundtrack that shimmers and grooves around Cashma’s sultry vocals.

Within the dozen tracks from Purple Apartment, five are the most noteworthy. For the ballads, “My First Apartment,” unpacks all of Cashma’s her feelings with her life’s new chapter: “Maybe I’ll crash/Maybe I’ll burn/Maybe I’ll live/Maybe I’ll learn I think I’ll understand/What it takes to be who I am.” “Everything That Suits Me” sways on this midtempo soundtrack, calling out what one looks for in a romance. Hard rhythmic pulses drive “102,” illustrating the other side of romance in pleasing one’s lover.

As for Purple Apartment’s dance flavored moments, “I Dress for Me,” finds Cashma shunning any unnecessary judgement from other people. In celebrating self, “Dance Like Tracy” blocks out what everyone might be thinking: “They don’t get my mind/I fell from the skies/I need to get by in the meantime/My friend thinks I’m crazy.” The disco fueled, “Night is on Fire,” continues the confidence boosting about having fun in a relationship. While Cashma’s vocal skills are not her strongest suit, the storylines for the most part on Purple Apartment are riveting enough to capture the listener’s attention. Four out of five stars.

Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene