- 2025-01-28
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MUSIC
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Cecilia Castleman Releases Self-Titled Debut Album
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Cecilia Castleman released her self-titled debut album on January 24, 2025 via Glassnote Records.
The album comprises 13 songs, which she recorded with producer Don Was at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles.
All songs were written by Cecilia Castleman, with Daniel Tashian co-writing “Thought I Was In Love”, “Waiting On You”, and “Lonely Nights”, and Hank Compton co-writing “Looking for June”.
The project is a genre-blending collection of pop, rock, and country music, featuring musicians such as American bluegrass singer-songwriter Alison Krauss on strings, Pino Palladino on bass, and Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums.
Cecilia Castleman said of the album, “It feels so wild to say that since it's been such a long time coming.. These songs have kept me company for quite a while now and I hope maybe you find one you dig.. it took a village as you'll see, and I'm utterly grateful for everyone in my life who made this record with me.”- She added, “Thank you to Daniel Glass and everyone at Glassnote Records. Jaime Finkel, Patrick Flanagan, Scott Rodger, and everyone at Quest Management, Carla Wallace and the Big Yellow Dog team, Daniel Tashian, Alison Krauss, Faryal Ganjehei, Jaime Sickora and the wonderful Henson staff, Stephen Taylor at Fender guitars. Abe, Pino, Benmont, Alison - you all played so beautifully on this record.. Thank you to the engineers: Curt, Jaime, Brian, and Mike.. thank you to my family, and lastly thank you Don Was, this record is just as much yours as it is mine.”
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Cecilia Castleman explained track-by-track for the album via Consequence of Sound.
“It's Alright”
“This song came about when I was recording some demos at Mark Rubel's Pogo Studios in Nashville with my friend Elijah. He plugged in a Space Echo and I picked up an old Gibson SG. The guitar riff came about immediately and I wrote the whole first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus right then and there. I couldn't think about any of the other songs for the rest of the night, so I drove home way too fast and finished the rest of the song. Up until then, I'd never been more excited about a song that I've written. I listen to it now and I can't believe it's mine.
I was so frustrated with my life; same thing day in and day out, driving down the same roads. I was ready to go somewhere new. I kept thinking to myself, 'It's okay to set yourself free, to let go for a change. Don't worry about what people say, worry about what you want to do with your life.' So, I did what I wanted to do — which is to be a musician and make records.”
“Company”
“I wrote this the same day I wrote 'It's Not What I Mean.' A lot of this record is about growing up as a young girl, learning about myself, and navigating feelings. This song is about realizing the end of a relationship is near and going back and forth in your mind through all the good and bad memories. It's bittersweet with a touch of angst.”
“It's Not What I Mean”
“This is another coming-of-age song of mine. It's about growing up and saying the wrong things accidentally and feeling misunderstood, which was a main feeling I had growing up. I wrote this song in front of my mom… I think I just felt sorry for everything we both had been through. It wasn't easy growing up, but music was always the thing that kept us going.”
“You Go Thru Girls Like You Go Thru Cigarettes”
“Relationships aren't something you can just snub out in an ashtray. 'There's no cure for being young' is probably one of my favorite lines I've ever written. No matter how much you try to do the right thing, it's inevitable that you're going to mess up - especially when you're young and growing.”
“Thought I Was Alone”
“I remember playing around with those chords that morning before I sat down with a friend of mine, Daniel Tashian, and we wrote this song in a couple of hours. It's a song about recalibration; realizing you actually didn't feel the feelings you thought you had. I always liked upbeat songs with stirring emotions. I played an old high-strung guitar that belonged to Prince on this song and it was one of the coolest and most surreal days of my life. I hope you all enjoy it.”
“Central Park”
“I had just gotten signed to Glassnote Records when I wrote this. It's just about falling in love with places you've never been. I was so ready to get out of my hometown and experience new things, but also it has this sort of murky tension of falling out of love with someone, as most of my songs do.”
“You Don't Know Me Right Now”
“This is a flirty song about who should make the first move. I'm a huge Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers fan and was lucky enough to get Benmont Tench, who was in the band, to play keys on it. I had the best time recording this song.”
“Waiting on You”
“This song is about not caring to wait around for someone because you like them so much, to the point where all reality goes out the window. It's like the saying, 'You can't be wise and in love at the same time' - that's what this song is about to me. I wrote it with Daniel Tashian, who [also] produced it. It's one of my favorite songs I've ever been lucky enough to be a part of writing.”
“I Don't Need to Love You”
“This is the oldest song on the record. I wrote it when I was 15. A lot of this record is about my parents, and I just flipped it into first-person. This one is about coming to terms with giving your all to someone who doesn't give it to you back.”
“Cadillac”
“I was pretty angry when I wrote this one. It's about growing up and realizing your worth — wanting to prove yourself to everyone who has doubts about you. I feel like a lot of my life is proving to people that I can actually do this and be a successful musician. “Cadillac” was me saying, 'Take a chance on me, I'm right here. Can't you see in me what I see in myself?'”
“Looking for June”
“This was one of the only songs where I started with the title. It was interesting because I always saw June as a person, but Hank Compton, who I wrote it with, made it about a season. 'I'm waiting for you to be here with me now and you're already off to the next chapter of your life' had a coming-of-age aspect; two people who are on different wavelengths. It isn't a negative song, it's just about coming to terms with the idea that people grow and change.”
“Lonely Nights”
“Everybody has a bit of loneliness in them. The end of the night rolls around - everything's quiet, the other side of the bed is empty, the only coat on the hanger is yours, the only coffee cup on the table is yours. I used to say that I love being alone and thrive being alone, and creatively that's true, but I think I was trying to convince myself that I didn't need anyone, when in fact I do.”
“Pick and Lose”
All my secrets are in this song. I'm really hard on myself; too hard, sometimes. 'Pick and Lose' shows all my fears, especially failing and falling behind. The line, 'All I want in my life is still saving me,' that's the music. Music is the only thing in my life that's truly ever saved me.”
“Free to Dream”
“My publisher Carla Wallace said the line, 'But it's free to dream,' during a conversation at lunch one time. I came home and wrote the song that night. 'Free to Dream' is about being hopeful for the future and taking chances. I was lucky to grow up around a lot of dreamers. I feel like all I do is dream. I thought it would tie up the record nicely for the deluxe. Instead of ending the record, it goes on to another chapter - which I'm already thinking about.” - source : Consequence of Sound
