Carl Baldassarre Talks New Album, Recording And More

Carl Baldassarre will release his new album ‘Retroduction’ on Friday 16th May 2025 via your own label Carl Baldassarre Music. He sat down with JLTT to discuss the new album and more: 

Your new album ‘Retroduction’ will be released on 16th May 2025 via your own label Carl Baldassarre Music. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

I wanted to draw on the inspiration some of the great songwriters of the 1960’s & 1970’s like Burt Bacharach & Jimmy Webb and home in on the importance of a good tune and a good lyric. The goal was to just write short songs and tell real stories. Coming from both the progressive rock world as well as the classical world, being concise wasn’t always a requirement. So, it was fun to get back to the basics of songwriting.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

All the orchestral parts were recorded in Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios, London. This is the same room where The Beatles did virtually all their recordings in the 1960s. You can still hear the magic of that room, especially during the string section of my song ‘Nothing Left to Give’. It gave me chills to be in the same room where the strings were recorded for tracks like ‘Eleanor Rigby’.

The basic rhythm tracks were recorded at Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The producer was Phil Naish (Grammy winner) and the Engineer was Mark Hornsby. They both worked at Sweetwater and invited me to come work with them. It was a great experience.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

The time we spent at Abbey Road Studios in London was incredible. Playing the same pianos that Lennon & McCartney played on was a bit mind blowing! However, some of the most memorable moments were in working with Phil Naish (producer). Phil is someone who has worked with some of the greatest artists (Dolly Parton, Elton John) and it was a great learning experience to see how he could tear apart the songs and piece them back together with great arrangement techniques. I learned a tonne working with him.

Do you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

Mark Hornsby (Engineer) had access to the best possible gear at Sweetwater. We had all the best mics, amps, and audio gear, both vintage and modern. One of the more unusual instruments was the Uillean Pipes on ‘Circadian Rhythm’ which was played by Scott Cleavinger. They have a very cool bagpipe type of sound and really captured the Celtic vibe of the piece. I also never worked with a professional ‘whistler’ before. That was the first time for me. You can hear Rory Hoffman on my song ‘Miracles’ perform the whistling interlude. He was incredible and it really captured just the colour we needed for that moment!

Who accompanied you on the album in terms of the musicians?

We had an incredible group of musicians working on this album. Too many great players to properly mention them all. But people like Nick D’Virgilio on drums (Tears for Fears, Genesis, Big Big Train), Mike Lusk (Loretta Lynn) and Jonatha Brooke on vocals, John Hinchey and Vinnie Ciesielski on brass and Phil Naish, who is also a great keyboardist (who played on and arranged the hit ‘Sailing’ by Christopher Cross as an example.). I was lucky to work with these artists.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

That’s a great question! I honestly was “happy” making every track, but I’d say ‘Right Back Where I Started’ has personal meaning about getting back to who I am as a songwriter. So too are ‘Miracles’ and ‘It’s Christmas Each Day’.

I don’t think I wrote any from an “angry” place, but I’d say, ‘Nothing Left to Give’ and ‘While We’re Still Friends’ came from a tumultuous place.

All the tracks have self-reflection in them, but ‘Circadian Rhythm’ and ‘Lily’ have a very wide reflective aperture.

The saddest track may be ‘Lullabye’ which is the story of dealing with a parent who has dementia.

One of the tracks on the album is entitled ‘Lily’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Sometimes songs just appear, and ‘Lily’ was one of those which came to me as a complete song at 3:00 am one morning. I think it’s one of the most potent pieces I’ve ever written. It tells the story of a girl who has retreated to an interior, silent world. It alludes to depression, suicide, and some heavy things that I and others have experienced. I think there is a bit of ‘Lily’ in all of us. I’m still discovering the meaning of that song.

Was it a difficult album to write?

I wouldn’t say it was “difficult” but it was definitely a lot of non-stop, round-the-clock work. Probably the biggest challenge for me was in the refining and editing the songs to get the perfect form. To write good songs you must get good at taking things out. That’s hard to do, but it’s important to get it right. In fact, I spent more time refining and deleting ideas than I did writing the first draft. There is something calming about de-cluttering your life and living spaces and it’s no different in songwriting.

The album will be released on various different formats including your innovative ‘cassongle’ format. Could you please tell us about how the format idea arose and how does it work?

It really came down to thinking about how people listen to music these days. Most of us listen to music these days on our phones using streaming service. The reality is that CDs are almost never used anymore; and although vinyl is great, it’s still a very small niche. Other than streaming, I just figured everyone has a computer and knows how to use a thumb drive. So, I decided to do the USB cassette.

The whole cassette packaging speaks to my “retro” theme of the album so that was an added cool factor. Plus, I was able to offer different audio formats (MP3, WAV, FLAC) as well as include all the liner notes, lyrics, photos on the thumb drive. It’s a great deal for fans who want to dig in a little more to get a full experience.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?

I have a rock orchestra called The Baldassarre Orchestra and we’re doing shows in the U.S. in 2025. I’m hopeful to get to Europe in 2026. I have several albums coming out this year and next year and it would be great to bring all this music to Europe soon.

What two pieces of advice do you have for a novice songwriter?

Another great question! I believe the first rule of writing is to write. Just write as many songs as you can and keep on writing! It takes practice. Another important rule is to learn to edit and refine your songs so that there’s not a note too many or a note too few. Keep your songs tight in the telling! The same is true for lyrics. The ‘eraser’ is the most important instrument you’ll ever learn to play!