Album Notes

Description by song:

1. Small Steps (3:46) – I heard someone say that careers are defined by a series of numerous small steps. With that in mind, I’m signing up for American Idol.

2. Other Side Of It All (3:39) – I wrote this March of 2009. The economy was at a low point and American morale seemed to be dwindling. This is a piece of positivity, acknowledging progression and prosperity.

3. Final Hour (3:49) – For a friend.

4. Every Shade of Gray (3:15) – While walking through a low-income neighborhood in the Bronx, I was surrounded by laughter and smiling faces. In that moment, I realized that a privileged life is nothing but perception.

5. Real Vacation (3:11) – First I did laundry, then I waited in line at the post office for 2 hours, then I bought groceries, then I got my oil changed, and then I caught up on work I wasn’t able to finish on Friday. It was an amazing weekend!

6. My Own Two Feet (3:59) – When living in Boston there was one homeless man I passed daily. Every time I walked by I would excuse myself of any responsibility to help. After all, I was a busy student with college debt piling up by the day. It’s easy to live with that mindset for an entire lifetime, and this is a song about it.

7. Gone For Good (3:39) – Relationships are never perfect. However, a song that grooves rarely fails to rekindle the flame.

8. Samantha’s Song (3:15) – A well overdue love ballad. Took me about ten years, but I came through.

9. Who’s Your Doggie? (2:15) – How come a dog can pee on the floor as many times as he wants and still be loved, but if I do it once, I’m done for. It’s just plain unfair!

10. That’s Just the Way it Is (4:17) – If 2pac redid it, so can I.

11. Fade (4:16) – A fictional take on the overshadowed side of a separation.

Credits:

Caleb Hawley – All Vocals and Guitars, Piano on Fade
Reed Grimm – Drums and Percussion
Ryan Butler – Electric Bass
John Leftwich – Upright Bass
Joel Bryant – Piano, Organ, Keyboard
Sarah Parkington – Violin
Sascha Groschang – Cello
Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen – Trombone
Aaron Heick – Tenor Sax
Barry Danielian – Trumpet
Michael McCurdy – Vibes and Marimba
Ryan Vaughn – Percussion on “Gone for Good”
Fargo the Dog – Percussion and Barks on “Who’s Your Doggie?”

All songs written, arranged, and produced by Caleb Hawley except for track 10 (written by Bruce Hornsby)

All Songs engineered, mixed, and mastered by Glenn Barratt at Morningstar Studios - Spring House, PA
Strings engineered by Patrick Thomas at Sound Machine Studios – New York, NY
Trumpet and Saxaphone engineered by Kevin Bents at Bashville Studio - New York, NY.
Vibes and Marimba engineered by J Scott Hinckley (Flat World Recordings) – New York, NY
Trombone Engineer by Mike Savino – New York, NY