At the end of every project that I work on, I take some time to think about the songs on the cd and what they mean to me. I think about these songs and I love to see how they have grown since the first time I wrote them. Most of the songs on "Caurosel" were written within the past year or so... it's been an interesting year for me... as most people do, I've had ups and downs. If anything, everything I've been through in the past year has made me stronger and (i hope) smarter. I've done things that I never thought I would get to do and I've been places that I never thought I'd go. What a perfect time to write an album right? I've had so many reasons to be inspired over the past year(or so) and I am so proud to share these songs with you.

I really feel that the songs on this cd are the best I have ever written. That's why I am offering the songs on this cd free for everyone to download. I want to share my music(and experiences) with anyone who cares to listen. Please feel free to take the time to download my songs and put them on your mp3 player, computer or burn a disc of them and take them where you go. Feel free to take my experiences, feelings and emotions and make them your own.

Another note that I would like to make about this album is that this is the first album that I have ever done where I did all of the performances on this with the exception of the drums. That's right!!! I wrote the songs, arranged them, played all of the instruments and, of course, sang every word. In a way, I had to play all of the parts out of neccesity, but I grew to love what I was doing and this experience has allowed me to express myself(musically) in ways that I never have before.

About the songs...

1. Since You Went Away: Opening track, one of my favorites. Surprisingly, I wrote this as a break up song, but it wasn't inspired from a break up. It was actually inspired by meeting someone and spending time with them. At some point, I thought what it would be like to lose this person I was with. What would I sing about? What would I want to say to that person? Thus, this song came out.

2. Everything: Possibly the BEST song I have ever written. I wrote this song at a beginning of a budding relationship. Lyrically and musically the most intricate piece of music I have ever recorded. Not because of any kind of crazy chord changes or inversions, but because of the massive amount of instruments being played. Also, I experimented with "huge" sounding vocal harmonies... similar to the likes of Queen and Def Leppard. So many of my influences are in this one. Again, this is probably the single best example of me as a songwriter/performer.

3. Caurosel: the title track fo this cd. I wrote this song last fall. I actually came up with the chorus while I was on the eliptical machine at the gym. How random is that? After I got home, I had the song written in about 30 minutes.

4. Teen Idol #1:I wrote this song about 7 years ago and originally recorded it with an old band I was in. The band fell apart right after we recorded it, but I started playing this in my solo shows a year or so ago. I always liked how it sounded and with the 80's guitar coming back in popular rock music, I thought this would be a great addition to this new cd. I added some acoustic guitars, keys and big harmonies for dramatic affect. I wrote this song after I had a bunch of people stay over after a party that I had the night before. I woke up the next morning and just started playing the main riff... the rest of it just fit. Lyrically, it was about my inner desire to be in a "boy band". I'm not even kidding...

5. I Was OK: This is a huge departure from my normal style of pop rock. I wrote this about someone that I was seeing that told me that she wanted to date other people, but still have what we had. I said, "errrr... no thanks." A few days later, this song came out. When you are listening to it, check out the Bon Jovi reference towards the end of the song.

6. Blame You: I had originally written this for an other artist to sing on. We weren't really happy with the vocal lines that she was coming up with so we decided to scrap it. I finally decided that I would record this one on my own. That being said, I thought that this song would be a great "filler" song for the album. However, during the mix down sessions, I realized how much I really did like the song and how great everything fits together on it.

7. Break Your Heart: Another song about someone that I had dated in the past year. Out of all of the songs on this cd, this song was the one that took the least amount of time to write. I think I had everything written and recorded(from scratch) within a few hours. That being said, this is one of the songs that people gave me the best feedback on. People are saying that it is their favorite song of mine that they have ever heard. What do you think?

8. Girl Next Door: Those who know me well know about a break up that I went through this past year. I wrote this song at a time when our relationship was at one of it's highest points. But it can be almost viewed as having insight into what would be our future. Don't worry about me though, I'm fine. =)

9. Everything (Reprise) - The title says it all. I took the song "Everything" and arranged it with different string lines to form a reprise of the original. I really like this version and I wish that I made it longer. It works for what it is though and I like that. If you listen to it with the volume way up, then you're going to hear all the little nuances of the music.

Well, that's pretty much it. I hope that you enjoy this album. It's been a fun journey for me. I'm looking forward to hearing your comments and feeback on the new cd. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy this.

Album Credits:

All songs written, produced and arranged by John Mendoza.

John Mendoza: guitar, lead and backing vox, keys and bass
Gary Scheffler: drums
Jaime Myerson: percussion on "Break Your Heart"

Drums recorded at Optimus Studios, PA
Vox, guitars and keys recorded at my house =P
"Everything" mixed at Grey Skied Studios, Deptford, NJ
The rest of the songs mixed and mastered at Blackwood Recording, Blackwood, NJ
Album cover art by Anthony Ritchie

John would like to thank:
Mom, Dad , Vic... thank you for all of the support and help through the years, Dave and Caroline, Sarah, Gary and Laura, Harry and Dawn, Mikey Motorcycle and Jess, Owen and Fran, Andy V, Doug at Greyskied Studios, Jaime at Blackwood Recording, my boys in Identity(Andy, Cody, Harry, Antoine and Jordan), Germs, HelenaMaria, Adam and Leigh, Rosie and the rest of Team Sandone, Heather(s), Jon B Klear, Baimun and the rest of the crew on HCGJ, Amy(s), the DiFranco's, the Jaffe's(always love you bro).... and to the rest of my friend's and family. Thank you so much for your support!!!

I want to dedicate this album to everyone that has been a part of my life. You are the reason I am who I am today.

www.johnmendozamusic.com
www.myspace.com/johnmendozamusic