Transitions
Original Release Date June 11, 2022
5 Year Anniversary June 11, 2027
10 Year Anniversary June 11, 2032
Listen on Bandcamp.
Tracks
01 Maybe Jesus Knew What He Was Talking About
02 Cats and Dogs
03 Me In A Nutshell
04 Peace With Myself
05 Magnets
06 If I Succeed In Anything Let It Be Love
07 Don’t Give Up
08 All We Need Every Day And Night Is Love
09 Peace On Earth
10 Overflow
11 Some Hopes
People Involved: Executive Producer: Joe Otto, Cover Art: Pierre Bennu (@exittheapple), Art Direction and Album Layout: Amanda Lee, Recorded by: Steven Wesley Guiles*, Mixed and Produced by: Pedro Costa*, Additional Production: Steven Wesley Guiles
Notes: Steven Wesley Guiles album Transitions is about just that: a series of transitions. Life to death. Faith to faithlessness. Depression to hope. Apathy to action. Denial to acceptance.
This album was a labor of love and became a reality because of Kickstarter backers in November of 2021 (SWG fans) who supported it!
Recorded at John Cash Studios in San Dimas, CA between 2007-2022*.
This album was completed and re-recorded during December 2021-March 2022*.
*Exceptions noted under individual tracks
Official Press Release for this album:
Review and Press:
Album Review by https://www.musicmedsbymel.com/music-reviews/steven-wesley-guiles-transitions
When I created Music Meds By Mel, my goal was not only to introduce independent musicians to a larger audience, but I also wanted to create a community of musicians and fans alike. So, when a musician I’ve reviewed reaches out with music suggestions, I’m always open to the opportunity.
Last year, the incredibly talented Angela Sheik (“Be Gentle With Yourself”) introduced me to Steven Wesley Guiles, a musician from San Dimas, California. Angela had collaborated with Steven and knew that he would be releasing new music, so she asked if I’d be interested in writing up a review. Of course my response was, “Absolutely!”
Due to a lack of creative juices and motivation to contribute to Music Meds By Mel the second half of 2022, I never got around to taking a listen. However, I have vowed to jump back into writing and producing content on the site in the new year and I knew Steven Wesley Guiles would be the first review of 2023! Needless to say, after listening to Steven’s latest album, Transitions, my writer’s block has disappeared and I’m ready to introduce my followers to new music again!
After listening to Transitions from start to finish, these were my initial thoughts: kind and gentle spirit; soothing voice; spreading love, peace, and positivity; encouraging; relatable; realistic; inspiring; simplistic. If that isn’t enough to have you clicking on the link to listen, I’m not sure what will!
There were many highlights in Transitions and it started off with the first track, “Maybe Jesus Knew What He Was Talking About” with assistance from Katie Dwyer on vocals. Steven and Katie’s voices are similar souls meshing together in literal perfect harmony.
“Cats and Dogs” uses the analogy of cats and dogs to tackle the idea of coexisting with people who may not see eye to eye. This song could be broadcasted as a subliminal message through all our phones’ speakers to help cure our divided nation.
We can both enjoy our lives, in our own mismatched way / You and I can coexist, inside the same frame / Just because we’re different doesn’t mean we have to feel ashamed / Cats and dogs don’t have to be the same
“Me In A Nutshell” could have been the perfect track in the beginning of Transitions. It introduces Steven to his listeners and shows a humorous side. He writes “Me In A Nutshell” in the form of a list to describe his interests, personality traits, background, and visions.
“Peace With Myself” is a moment to stop and reflect and look at the big picture. It’s all about looking to improve yourself so you can find peace with yourself and in return, find peace with everyone else.
I just wanna be who I am / I just wanna be a better man / I know I can be, who I am /If I live in peace with myself, I can live in peace with everybody else
“If I Succeed In Anything Let It Be Love” could be described as a ‘bop’ (as the kids call it – yes, I’m dating myself with that statement). Right off the bat, the ‘doo doo doo’s’ make you want to move your body and sing/clap/snap along to this track all about spreading love.
“Don’t Give Up” is an anthem to anyone who’s struggling in life. It’s upbeat, positive vibe is bound to lift your spirits and the music matches the vibe with the addition of the horns section and piano. There’s a resemblance to The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” The transition between “Don’t Give Up” and the next track, “All We Need Every Day and Every Night Is Love” will have the listener in a mind blowing moment in the ultimate highlight while listening to Transitions and understand where the album’s name may have originated. “All We Need Every Day and Every Night Is Love” is a continuous play on words from various Beatles hits to the point where it seems like Steven was setting up the listener during “Don’t Give Up” to make you start thinking of The Beatles’ in order to make the connection on this next track and recognize the transition.
It is truly a delight listening to Transitions from start to finish. Steven Wesley Guiles forces you to slow down in this fast paced world that we live in. He has composed music that fits perfectly with his vocals; easy listening and soothing with a kind, gentle spirit. It is worth taking the 41 minutes and 48 seconds out of your day to take a listen. Like me, he will have you inspired, relaxed, and clicking the follow button on all of his social media pages.
******
REVIEW Mark Fisher (former writer/editor for 1340mag.com
For a while, I wondered if I was alone in the emotional and spiritual transformation I was going through. It felt disheartening. It felt lonely. It felt disappointing. It was hard to understand. I watched many of my closest friends walk a different path then the one I was choosing. It’s been a strange few years. Then came Transitions.
I sobbed the first time I listened to this album. While I had followed Steven on social media for years, and knew he and I had some shared struggles with what is happening around us, it was like he wrote this album for me. To tell me it would be alright. To tell me I was not alone. To re-hearten me. Every single song here addresses something I have struggled with over the last few years, it’s almost unnerving, but it’s so welcomed.
Musically, this folksy album lands somewhere between Jack Johnson and “The Rainbow Connection.” It’s laid back, unassuming, reflective, intimate, and just genuinely full of love. Lyrically, it explores loss of peace (in ourselves, with each other, and spiritually), loss of faith, the politics of the past few years, social justice, the legacy we might leave, and love. But, more importantly, these aren’t downtrodden songs of woe. They are songs of joy and inspiration in the midst of incredible sadness and loss. They are reminders of who we are.
Transitions is the total package. From the cover art to the lyrics (and the lyrical notes) to the overall sound, it all fits perfectly. In fact, when you see the cover art, rest assured that it sounds exactly like what you are imagining. I love all kinds of music, but only a small handful of it truly speaks to me in the way Transitions does. I can’t recommend this enough.
******
Review by John R Williamson
Listening to Transitions, the new album by Steven Wesley Guiles, produced and mixed by Pedro Costa, one hears hope, love, and vulnerability that bring the listener a form of musical communion. These songs are catchy, easy to love, and played with graceful, beautiful instrumentation. Steven sings with heartfelt immediacy, bringing the listener right up into his headspace and exploring his concerns about his life and surroundings. These personable songs are sequenced beautifully to showcase Steven’s musical talents and those of artful collaborators such as Katie Dwyer, Joel Clift, Ethan Okamura, Eric Shouse, and Brian and Sarah Smith. While recordings for this album began 15 years earlier, Steven completed the album (re-recording many songs and elements) in a 3-month whirlwind that wrapped up in March. Pedro Costa has a wonderful ear for Steven’s songs and his mixes and production are truly delightful. Considering the existential predicaments that seemed to have inspired this album, it is full of stunning melodies, upbeat songs, and hope. Thank you, Steven, for being so unprotected and providing comfort during these turbulent times. – john r. williamson
******
from John B Brookman
“This is not an album.
This is a treasure.”
******
Review by Dave Davenport
What’s on my mind, you ask?
Love, Peace, and Hope.
Please pardon the bro love fest about to occur. If you like some chill music, please check out Steven Guiles’ new album, Transitions, on Bandcamp. He also has CDs available if you like a hard copy.
https://stevenwesleyguiles.bandcamp.com/album/transitions
I got this in the mail the other day after supporting the kickstarter and it has been playing non-stop ever since. It will be my summer album.
Love the album.
Love the art.
Love the vulnerability.
Love the instrumentation.
Love the sweet melodies.
Love the peace I feel when listening.
Love the validation.
Love the orchestration.
Love the nods to a few of the greats.
Love the engineering.
Love the voice doubling.
Love the lyrical content.
Love the skillful playing.
Love the backing vocals.
Love the production.
Love the Kickstarter loot.
Love the mixes.
Love the colors of hope shining through the gray.
Love the journey.
Love the incredible effort this must have taken.
Love the people surrounding you and supporting you.
Love the Transition.
Big Love right back at you Steven Guiles. This album is fantastic.
*****
Isabel Ebiner – Isabel in San Dimas podcast
Contemplative and uplifting, Transitions by Steven Guiles is a gift to the listener. With inspiring melodies, artful harmonies, and heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics, Steven takes us on an existential journey to reckon with the meaning of life, love, peace, and identity. While definitive answers remain elusive, one thing is certain: this album delivers authenticity and hope “peeking through like the sun” in the face of life’s big questions.